


Tonight is the Night

by ellewrites



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Language, M/M, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:16:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/742996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellewrites/pseuds/ellewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After breaking up with his pop-sensation girlfriend Relena, rock musician Heero Yuy becomes infatuated with rapper Duo Maxwell and decides he must try to see the up-and-comer while he's in town. This story started as a smutty little distraction from my more serious works and kinda became a life of its own... AU, 1x2x1, warnings at top.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the kind of fic I typically write. I find this type of thing trite and silly and I avoid it all costs. That said, working on a soon to be posted trilogy is pretty much destroying my brain and this nonsense is a much-needed break from that. I poured it out in one sitting. Just so ya know, this fic is inspired by two things. The first being a radio interview I heard about John Mayer. Okay, it wasn't really about him, but the guy they were interviewing worked with him and the way he described Mayer reminded me of Heero – quiet and reserved and passionate about his work. So while I'm sure the first thing you don't think about is Heero singing "Your Body is a Wonderland," I don't know, after hearing that interview, I kinda felt like I could really imagine it. So if you can't, then you might just wanna hit the back button on your browser now. ;-) The second thing that inspired me is Macklemore's song 'Thrift Shop.' The first time I heard it I started laughing uproariously imagining Duo singing: "I'll wear your granddad's clothes, I'll look incredible, I'm in this big ass coat from the thrift shop down the road." If you can't imagine Duo signing that, then that back button is still there for you. (Although if you can imagine Heero as John Mayer but not Duo singing Macklemore, I'll seriously question your sanity.)
> 
> Oh, and the title is from Ludacris' song "Rest of my Life." I'm on a rap/club kick here, bear with me. We'll return to your regularly scheduled program soon enough. I just needed some fluffy entertainment.
> 
> ENJOY! (Or don't – no sweat off my back! ;-P)

"Duo Maxwell is supposed to be in town tonight," Wufei joked with a knowing glint in his eyes and Heero huffed, wishing his long time business associate didn't know him so well, knowing he should've never confided his attraction to the perceptive Chinese man.

"And?" he asked coolly, unsure why Wufei felt the need to bring it up – especially considering he'd already heard the rumor and had been planning a strategy to find what clubs he'd hit up in the most efficient manner to be sure not to miss him.

"I heard he's going to be at that club Relena always goes to. Avenue* or whatever." Wufei's nonchalance was a show, Heero knew. Knew that despite the small groan over the mention of his ex, Wufei was pointedly giving him the information in a gesture of kindness and that he should be thankful. "I considered going," he added after a moment of silence passed between them.

Heero shot him a grateful look. The club scene wasn't precisely his thing. It wasn't his image and he'd had his fill of the experience while dating pop sensation Relena Lovecraft. He supposed it wasn't _that_ bad – the clubs he showed up at were exclusive so it wasn't as if he had to deal with random fans off the street, but being with a group of his so-called peers wasn't really much better. It was all a cock show and he'd have to get dressed up and take the Viper** and all that nonsense. An anonymous bar where people didn't give a shit about who was singing the crap piped in on their radio was more his style.

"I don't know what you're going to say to him, though," Wufei pointed out unhelpfully, clearly not thrilled about the idea of going to the club either. Frankly, Heero hadn't really thought he was going to say anything to Duo at all. He intended to just lust over him from afar, the way he had for months now. If the rumors were true and Duo was bisexual, which Heero had often pondered the likelihood of with no concrete decision regarding their veracity, and Heero had somehow managed to catch the braid man's eye, the most he could unrealistically hope for was a one-night stand – and what did they need words for, then?

Heero grunted a reply, knowing that if he told Wufei what he was really thinking his friend would probably back out and claim the venture wasn't worth it.

"Want me to pick you up?" Wufei asked then, letting it drop.

"Let's take separate cars," Heero replied firmly. No matter how low the chance, he wasn't going to risk having to abandon himself or Wufei with no transport if he _did_ somehow manage to get the opportunity to take a romp with the man who'd inspired all his recent wet dreams.

Wufei shook his head slightly and glanced towards the clock in his office. "I've got a three-thirty, Yuy. But I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll be there around ten," Heero replied, standing and exiting the fancy office with his hands in his pockets, considering tonight.

Duo Maxwell was one of the up-and-coming names in rap. Originally from the slums of L2, he'd got his start bitching about the conditions there and making sure people listened. Though his earlier work was politically motivated, his most recent image consultant totally made him over into a polished, sexy, lady's man and his songs did a 180 and started to focus on sex and the club scene. Not that Heero really minded that – it was after all why Duo originally caught his eye as he sashayed his ass across the screen in the video for his first big hit. But the fact that such an incredibly sexy man also had such a dark and twisted past as well as a strong resolve and sharp mind made him all the more intriguing to Heero. He hoped Duo hadn't totally sold out for fame... but he didn't suspect that was the case as he recently noted a news article where Duo appeared at a press conference, donating some large sum of money to a children's advocacy network on L2.

It was a bit embarrassing to Heero how closely he followed Duo since he'd first laid eyes on him. There was no real reason for it – they were in completely different genres, their paths were unlikely to ever cross, they were from different colonies, and they didn't even have any associates in common as far as Heero knew. But after just getting out of a very public relationship with Relena in which he got reamed by the media despite their amiable friendship post break-up, Duo was something of a distraction. The up-beat, clever, and carefree words that tumbled out of his lips lifted Heero's spirit and made him smile when he felt like there was no one who could ever make him smile again. The sway of his hips and the cheeky grin he seemed to always wear assured him that he'd made the right move when he broke it off with Relena before he got any deeper in.

You know there's a problem when a music video of a dude makes you rock hard and your very touchable, very accessible naked girlfriend doesn't – even _if_ that dude's got a three and a half foot braid.

Heero contemplated all of this over a quiet dinner alone in his apartment, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. Just to see Duo in person would be enough. There was nothing he could say to him that wasn't obsessive and weird and creepy so despite what Wufei might have wanted for him, it was better to keep his distance, watch from afar, cement every moment into his memory so that he could play it back when he was alone...

If Duo was even there. Best to never get your hopes up.

But despite his promise to himself not to be disappointed if Duo didn't show, he slipped on his nicest, tightest slacks and a loose white button-up, rolling up the sleeves to show off his muscled forearms and unbuttoning the top two buttons as an invitation. He normally didn't wear much jewelry, but he put a large gold ring on his left hand and an expensive watch on the right. He slid into some nice leather boots and mused his hair in a way that was recommended to him by a style consultant. When he looked at himself in the mirror he nodded a small, satisfied nod. Relena liked it when he dressed like this and that buoyed his confidence. She had some of the best image consultants around and was very conscientious of style. Plus, she had wanted to fuck him a lot more than they actually did. He could only hope Duo would have the same taste in men.

He rolled up in the Viper quite a bit past ten, but it never paid to be early. With some reservation, he let his car be parked by the valet and he wandered into the dark club with a bit of apprehension. But immediately he was greeted by friendly, curious faces, mostly Relena's friends, and their acceptance helped put him at ease.

Relena quickly spotted him and called him over to the mezzanine and one of the plush, lounge areas where Wufei was already waiting for him. He suspected as much as he took a seat next to his colleague and accepted the glass of whiskey the other man handed him.

"What are you doing here?" Relena asked pointedly, though not unpleasantly, as her eyes raked over his body. She knew how much Heero complained about the place while they were dating and so her surprise was understandable. He let himself be pleased for a moment at the heated gleam in her eyes as she leered at him appreciatively.

Heero shrugged and sipped his drink. "Wufei and I wanted to go out," he replied a bit loudly over the music the DJ had already started. There were much better places to chat – the balcony, the cabanas in the gardens, the library bar area – but Heero wasn't in the mood to chat with his ex.

People filtered in over the next hour and Relena had gone to make the rounds, leaving Heero and Wufei in companionable silence as they sipped their drinks and watched the dance floor from their slightly elevated position twenty feet away. Neither of them were much for dancing, though Heero had frequently attempted it while attached to Relena to please her, but watching was a pastime they both found amusement in. Occasionally Wufei would gesture to the floor and they'd smirk at a poor wardrobe choice or a celebrity clearly intent on getting wasted as quickly as possible.

But eventually Relena came back and Heero was into his forth drink when a flurry of energy exploded into the club and Duo Maxwell waltzed in with two women planted firmly on either arm.

"Ahhh!" Relena squealed happily from where she leaned over the couch behind Heero and he felt his breath catch as he finally caught a glimpse of the genuine article. No amount of coaching could've prepared him for the sight of that man. He was like a supernova, eclipsing everything else that surrounded him, and Heero knew he wasn't the only person that felt that way. The magnetic draw that surrounded him as he swooped in, shaking hands and doling out hugs, was almost palpable. And immediately he made his way into the middle of the floor, dragging the actress Dorothy Catalonia out to dance with him.

"I'm going to get him to dance with _me_ ," Relena teased in an obvious effort to make Heero jealous of him – but he was too absorbed in watching those hips move to retort. And quickly she disappeared to move to the center of the room where he and her friend Dorothy danced around each other. One of the girls he came in with handed him a drink and he paused in his sensuous movement, downing it in a few gulps that nearly made Heero groan as he noted the way his throat moved. Already he felt himself getting hard and he knew it was going to be a long, _long_ night. And then she handed him the other drink she held which he accepted as he continued to dance.

Relena was there then, introducing herself although Heero doubted she really needed the introduction, and she joined in the dancing. Wufei laughed shortly and leaned over to elbow Heero in the arm.

"Your ex has got the right idea," he stated and Heero scowled. He didn't really need to think about how close Relena was getting to _his_ fantasy. She was whispering in his ear now and he was laughing at her, grabbing her hand with the one he had free and squeezing it. He couldn't help but feel his blood boil but there was no reason for it. Even if he hadn't told himself not to make a move tonight, that there was no point, no way not to come off weird, he certainly couldn't go up to Duo in this club and try. It was too public, too many people knew him here, and even if they didn't, he couldn't do that to Relena. She was still a friend, after all, and it was obvious she still wanted him. They'd never really broached the subject of his sexuality and he didn't think the time to do it was tonight, in the middle of Avenue.

And then Duo threw back the rest of that drink, handing off the glass as the next song started, and his hands were all over Relena.

Heero was impressed he didn't go into cardiac arrest right there as he clutched his glass in a white knuckled grip. Wufei was outright laughing and as much as he wanted to punch his friend he couldn't move. He couldn't stop thinking about how _she_ had those long fingers on her back, those large palms on her thighs, those narrow hips against hers, his eyes solely focused on her.

At least his envy cooled his desire to a degree.

"Poor Relena sure knows how to make a man jealous," Wufei joked, wiping a tear from his eye and scooting a hair further away from Heero to avoid his wrath.

But the song was over soon enough and Relena bowed out graciously. They shared some joke that had them both laughing and she waltzed over to where Heero sat with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

She leaned over the back of the couch, her cheek nearly touching Heero's, her face flushed with exertion.

"Whaddya think? I can hold my own, huh?" Relena teased and Heero levied a cool glare at her so that she backed off, standing up but not walking away.

"That man's gay," Wufei stated bluntly to lessen the tension of Relena's attempted plot for Heero but she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

" _That_ man is _not_ gay," Relena stated with absolute certainty. "I know a gay man when I see one."

That almost had Wufei back into a fit of hysterics but the angry way both Heero and Relena glowered at him made the laughter die in his throat.

Quickly Heero's eyes turned back to the dance floor as the DJ announced a special gift for their special guest, all the way from L2. Duo blushed pleasantly and made dramatic gestures of his surprise and gratitude as the opening beats of his newest hit started over the sound system. Heero had to swallow a lump in his throat as Duo waved rapidly for the woman with short purple hair he'd entered with to join him in the middle of the floor. He was given some space as he started into their dance routine for the song, an absolutely vulgar display that matched the barely veiled sexual innuendos rife in the lyrics.

Now that it wasn't Relena and his jealousy wasn't as intense, he got to focus on the way those hips moved in perfect time to the beat. The way he pressed them into hers, their bodies fitting together like interlocking puzzle pieces. Heero got hard noting the way she slid against his thigh, her skirt riding up so that it was obvious her own bare thighs were riding his. And the way he slipped his fingers under that skirt, slipping them up to her ass, made Heero question the sanity of pining for a man that touched a woman that way.

But he couldn't help it. His eyes focused on the way Duo's ass flexed in those tight, thin black pants and he imagined her hand was his own, tucking under his beltline, feeling the sweaty small of his back and clinging to it as she dipped and shimmied against his leg. He couldn't help the tiny moan that slipped through his lips as Duo brought the girl up, his hands cupping her ass and forcing their hips to grind together in a frantic sashay, jerking left and right. He found himself moving his hand and his glass closer to his lap, rubbing himself slowly, hopefully imperceptibly, unable to help it he hurt so bad.

He spared a glance for Wufei who was equally enraptured by the dance, though Heero was sure more for the technical skill than the hot piece of male ass displayed before him, and he let his eyes wander back. At this point he had her pressed firmly against his body and was grinding his hips against her in a leisurely, sensual way that was immediately suggestive of slow, passionate sex and Heero shifted his own hips against his hand, shivering and trying to let that small amount of friction be enough to satisfy himself though it was so sorely lacking.

In a moment of weakness he contemplated the bathroom but he'd never done something so vile and he refused get up and miss a single second of that body while it was there. He'd just have to wait until the car.

Duo was jerking his hips forward into her now and she was turned around, her ass against him, his hands slipping so far up her thighs they were practically on her hips and her panties were peaking out from beneath their ever shortening covering. He had his face buried in her shoulder and she had an arm thrown up to cradle his head, her face a picture of ecstasy. Duo's hand slipped forward to cup her thigh where it met her crotch and Heero wondered vaguely how she could still be dancing with that... that _god_ draped over her, touching her like that. He realized then that he was panting and about on the verge of actually stroking himself through his pants when the song came to it's conclusion. Quickly he threw back the rest of his whiskey as Duo kissed the girl on the cheek and released her from his strong, sweaty arms.

What a mistake this night had been. He wished Wufei had never suggested it.

And suddenly Duo was heading in their direction and Heero's heart stopped in his chest – a feat that only moments ago he would've thought impossible with the frequency at which it was pounding.

"Heero Yuy," he stated as he walked up the short steps to the mezzanine, approaching their sitting area with a sly smile on his face. Wufei, in an act of divine inspiration, noted Heero's empty glass and grabbed it before leaving the area, obviously heading for a refill.

Duo watched him go and then sat down in his vacated seat, leaning over so close that Heero could smell the faint coolness of his cologne even through the erotic, heady scent of his sweat. Even if he hadn't been completely infatuated with the other man, even if he didn't have a rock-hard erection for him, he still wouldn't have known what to say in reply and so his eyes only widened slightly in surprise.

"Did I make ya jealous out there? With your girl and all?" he hissed in Heero's ear, leaning even further and placing a hand on Heero's upper thigh in a move that would've intimidated and horrified most men. But Heero found himself unable to stifle a moan at those lips being so close to his face, that breath washing over him with those quiet words, and his dick twitched, helplessly begging for that hand to reach up and stroke it.

It was Duo's turn to looked surprised then, although Heero was so humiliated he could hardly make his eyes meet the other man's. But a wicked smile spread like wildfire across that handsome face and he leaned in so close his lips were brushing Heero's ear.

"I see you want the private show," he whispered, his tongue flicking out to stroke Heero's earlobe. Heero closed his eyes and whimpered at the touch, his stomach twisting and his hips jerking, absolutely helpless to stop them. The throaty chuckle he received for that resulted in all of Heero's quickly fading willpower being trained on not grabbing that face and crushing his lips against Duo's.

"What can _you_ offer _me_?" Duo asked seductively as he slipped his arm fully around Heero's shoulder, his nose against his cheek, his fingers moving slowly closer to Heero's crotch but that question cleared some of the lust from his mind as he realized Duo probably had anyone he wanted in a similar state to the one Heero found himself in now. Maybe it was an ego trip, sure, but that didn't necessarily promise Duo a good time in return.

He grabbed Duo's wrist and pulled his hand away, which caused Duo to back up, shocked. Heero pinned him with the most intense stare he'd ever given anyone, promising in that soulful, serious look that he'd never put his own pleasure above Duo's, never take advantage of him. Duo's vibrant eyes swirled with astonishment and uncertainty, his breath hitching under the intensity.

But Heero was not easily outclassed and he would refuse to be anything but the best fuck Duo ever had.

Duo stood, offering his hand and eyes that glowed a bit hungrily as they took in Heero's more than willing form.

Heero stood with a little difficulty, ignoring the proffered hand, and Duo smirked at that before turning and slipping between people, leading him away from the mezzanine level. They passed Wufei, who looked quite shocked to see them so mission-focused, and Heero grabbed his whiskey out of his hand without a word or a spare glance. He slammed it as they walked, using the rim to disfigure the smile that finally broke across his face.

Duo graciously shook hands and made excuses as to why he couldn't talk right then as he lead Heero up to the balcony level and then to a private room off to the side. He shut the door and before Heero even had a chance to finish taking in the small space and turn around Duo had his body pressed up against his back, his hands tugging out his shirt from his pants.

Heero dropped his glass, gasping helplessly as he felt those rough fingers trail up his abdomen, feeling every inch of his definition, to his taunt nipples, caressing them and causing him to shudder. He could tell his reaction was enough to get Duo hard as he pressed his hips up into his ass. They rocked that way for a minute, Duo imitating his dance moves in slow motion to the heavy beat still audible even in the closed off room, hips rocking left and right, pressing his erection against Heero. He slid his hand down to Heero's thigh the same way he had the woman on the dance floor, pressing his fingers up against his balls through his pants and biting down on his neck at the same time. Heero had to fight to stay standing and not embarrass himself by coming so soon.

Finally he got his head back and although Duo fought it, Heero managed to overpower him and turn around in his arms to face him. He gripped the back of Duo's head to bring him in for a kiss but Duo blocked him, forcing him back with a strong forearm on his chest.

"This ain't love, baby," he growled, a clear warning in his posturing. "None of that."

While that put Heero off for a moment, having to warn him didn't phase Duo and he began to rock his hips to the beat again, rocking his dick against Heero's in a way that made him gasp. He bit down on his lower lip and put Duo's warning out of his mind. If his attempted kiss didn't stop Duo, then Heero wasn't going to let it stop him either.

Since breaking up with Relena, Heero had a series of short-lived male lovers that taught him a lot about himself and his sexuality and mostly that he didn't quite know how to make a relationship with a man work. He knew how to treat a woman, all the right things to do, all the right things to say, but men eluded him. It seemed silly not to be able to satisfy a man emotionally when he was one himself, but he resigned himself to this type of clandestine meeting. The thrill of it was enough for now. The fleeting nature of it didn't put him off. In fact, it was comforting. And getting this moment with Duo, being the center of his attention, was more than anything he could ever imagine.

But then he worried he wouldn't be able to fulfill his silent promise. Duo rocking against him was just about more than he could take. He couldn't reciprocate that sexiness the braided man exuded, so he had to think quick to turn this around before he passed the point of no return and was nothing more than another lackluster fuck for Duo.

Quickly he slipped his hands from Duo's hips around to his ass, clutching it and driving his hips roughly against his own, forcing him backwards into the door. He slipped his knee between Duo's legs, pressing his thigh up against his crotch, and Duo groaned, throwing his head back as Heero bit at his neck, sucking on it and caressing it with his teeth and his tongue. He felt a certain amount of satisfaction as he felt Duo's hands under his shirt, clawing at his back desperately against his aggression.

It made sense, he realized quickly. Duo had such an aggressive personality he was probably never overpowered by anyone. It was likely no one ever dared challenge him. This he could use to his advantage. Heero might not have been as enigmatic, but he was aggressive and he knew what he wanted. He wanted Duo.

"I said I'd give you the private show," Duo managed breathlessly, forcing Heero backward and into an oversized plush seat. So, he couldn't let it go, he couldn't let someone else have the upper hand.

Heero stared up at him with eyes half-lidded in lust as he jerked his body back and forth to the thumping beat, slowly unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his rippling flesh, teasing his own nipple with one hand as the other slid across his crotch. Unable to stop himself, Heero reached down and stroked himself through his pants, making Duo bite his lip and groan audibly as he took in the affect he was having on the other man.

Duo leaned in to unbutton Heero's pants and release him from his constrictive cage. Heero drew shaky breaths as he planted kisses on Duo's collarbone and neck. He hissed sharply as Duo's fingers slipped against his cock, their coolness countering his heat and Duo's amused smile lit up the dark room. Heero fumbled for Duo's hands as he pulled away to continue his taunting dance.

Having noted how it made Duo hot, he reached down to fondle himself, wet with pre-cum now, as he watched Duo pull out his belt and unbutton his pants. Duo smirked as Heero stopped to take in his hips and the space between them. And that was it, he was done playing – Heero was going to prove himself.

In a quick motion he reached forward and grabbed either side of Duo's open pants, dragging him forward and kissing his hips. Duo shimmied at the attention, an unconscious attempt to get his dick closer to Heero's mouth. And then he gave him what he wanted, drawing him in deep, causing him to throw back his head and mutter a string of obscenities. Duo's hips bucked as he buried his hands in Heero's hair, twisting his fingers through it. The whole situation was so erotic, with the music, the dark atmosphere, the drinks, his partner... Heero found himself jerking himself off as he lavished attention on Duo's needy cock, teasing his balls, letting the fingers of his other hand seek out all the sensitive parts of his anatomy.

"Aw, fuck," he groaned and Heero felt Duo's knees start to shake. He stopped his hand from moving over his own erection before Duo's completion triggered his own, and grasped Duo's thighs, supporting him as he drew him in even deeper into his mouth. He swallowed a few times with Duo's head at the back of his throat, causing Duo's entire body to tense and jerk forward with the force of his ejaculation, curling his arms around Heero's head and leaning his torso over him.

"For fucks sake," he whispered as he trembled with the aftershock. Proud of himself, Heero slipped his hands up Duo's torso and guided him down to the floor. Duo sat there with a hand on either one of Heero's legs, resting his head against his inner thigh, staring up and meeting his gaze. Heero couldn't help himself, he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, attempting to ignore his own needs and focus on Duo. He looked breathtaking like that, the afterglow of his orgasm plastered on his face. Heero couldn't believe he was privileged enough to see it.

And then that cocky grin was back and he was sliding his hands up to Heero's hips and, despite Heero's entire body screaming at him not to be a masochist, he placed his hands on Duo's shoulders.

"You don't have to," he whispered so quietly he hoped Duo wouldn't hear it. But the shock on his face was definitely worth it. He was sure no one had ever told Duo that before.

"Huh? You crazy?" he asked in surprise as he leaned forward quickly to envelope Heero in his mouth. His hips responded to the attention he'd been so desperately wanting for so long and then it was taken away and Duo was staring up at him with that playful smile teasing his lips.

"You don't want that, huh?" he joked, sparing a glance for his throbbing dick. "Someone disagrees..."

"I _want_ it," he mumbled significantly, managing to keep his hands at his sides though they were begging him to touch himself, finish himself off. He wasn't able to conclude the thought before Duo's mouth was on him again. He just hoped Duo understood as his mind was awash with pleasure.

He knew he wouldn't make it very long with the amount of time the moment had been prolonged and all it took was Duo to stop playing lazily with his tongue and to place a few well suctioned tugs before he was gasping and coming in his mouth, shivering against the feeling of it, better than he could've ever imagined.

Then he took a moment in his euphoric haze to remember every detail of that moment so that he could replay it as many times as possible. Duo Maxwell, bent between his knees, shirt hanging open, a sheen of sweat covering him from mutual desire, all of his attention focused directly on him.

And then it was over and Duo was standing, buttoning his shirt and his pants, grabbing his belt and walking over to the small personal bar and grabbing a bottle of rum. He snatched Heero's glass off the floor but grabbed him a clean one from the bar before pouring him a heaping serving as Heero followed his lead by tucking his shirt into his pants and refastening them.

Duo handed him his drink and then gulped directly from the bottle, grinning as he pulled it away and winking.

"Who'd a thought, Heero Yuy," he muttered with a shake of his head. "Thanks buddy."

Being thanked made Heero uncomfortable so he just threw back the rum – not his drink of choice – and tried not to wince at the taste.

And then he grabbed two other bottles – if you were going to pay for a private room, might as well take the alcohol offered – and they were walking out together. He was brilliant and Heero felt a bit like he was following in the wake of a shooting star, pitch black and absolutely unnoticeable in comparison.

Just how he liked to be.

They walked back past where Wufei was still sitting, waiting, wanting to know what happened to his friend and Duo flashed Heero a knowing smile as he flopped down on the couch. Wufei stared at Heero as Heero's eyes followed Duo back to the dance floor, a tiny self-indulgent grin tugging at his lips.

"What _happened_?" Wufei asked, a hint of shock in his voice. "I never thought you'd actually talk to him, let alone _disappear_ with him."

Heero shrugged, determined not to kiss and tell though he imagined his flushed skin explained it all. He took back what he'd thought earlier. This wasn't a mistake. He should probably pay for all the drinks tonight just to thank Wufei.

"Oh, Heero!" Relena called as she hurried up to him. But he didn't even bother to look at her. His eyes were still pinned on Duo – who for his part was dancing with a group of women who no longer intimidated him the least. And when he turned to where Heero sat, Duo's eyes met his in a familiar way, and Heero tried hard not to blush.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, leaning against the arm of the chair.

"Hmm?" Heero asked, genuinely confused.

"I just meant to make you a bit jealous when I told Duo to come over here and harass you about me," Relena explained her plot with a sincerely contrite expression. "I thought you'd left because of it!"

Heero couldn't help but chuckle and he finally spared a glance for his ex. "It's fine, 'Lena, I'm not mad," he replied honestly. In fact, he was now in her debt as well.


	2. Chapter 2

"I want to learn how to dance."

The incredulous look on Wufei's face almost made the embarrassing confession worthwhile.

"Just because you're gay now doesn't mean you have to learn how to dance," Wufei told him matter-of-factly before averting his eyes and focusing on his computer for a moment.

Heero sighed and tilted his glass of water back and forth a moment to let his friend recover from the shock. This wasn't a sudden idea, really, despite the way Wufei reacted to it. He'd been casually considering it ever since seeing Duo on the dance floor. He could never compete with those women in that arena. And after being with Duo, he knew he was going to have to whip out some pretty impressive moves – no pun intended – to maintain his attention.

But it wasn't until Relena informed him that Duo had propositioned her to record a single with him that he became hell bent on the notion. It was a particularly bad day to receive that news – he'd had another falling out with yet another man that morning and his frustration with himself was growing to an unmanageable level. He'd carried on a relationship with Relena for almost two years despite his lack of sexual attraction – but he couldn't last two months with a partner he actually wanted to fuck.

Heero wasn't sure, but when Relena broke the news, he immediately had a sneaking suspicion that Duo was trying to make him jealous. But he didn't let himself buy into that notion too much because it was more than a little presumptuous and therefore likely wishful thinking. He doubted one blowjob was even a blip on Duo's radar, despite it basically being an atomic bomb on Heero's.

"It's not because I'm gay," Heero finally stated, firmly, so that Wufei wouldn't argue. Clearly he misjudged his friend's ability to argue.

"What do you want me to do, Heero?" he asked, a hint of irritation unmistakable in his voice as he pinned his dark eyes back on Heero. "Do you want me to cancel the unplugged tour I've been working on for the past two months? Huh? You don't romp around the stage in glitter and feathers. You sit on a stool and play guitar and sigh into the microphone and the girls swoon. That's _you_. You don't _dance_."

Well, Wufei was right about that, but he didn't need to be such a bitch about it.

"I don't want you to cancel the tour," Heero replied bitterly. "I just wanted you to find me a dance choreographer to teach me some moves in my down time for Christ's sake."

Wufei sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back to the computer again. "I'm an agent, not an image consultant. Call Winner or something."

"Fine," Heero muttered under his breath, scanning through his phone contacts for the famous blonde's number.

Heero had consulted with Quatre Raberba Winner before and found him tolerable as far as image consultants went. He was one of Relena's favorites and she had him on retainer but that didn't really bother Heero. He only used him occasionally. Usually before a tour or a big event. But despite his lack of patronage Quatre was always friendly to him and treated him as though he were a big-ticket client.

The phone rang a moment before Quatre picked up and greeted him cheerfully. "Ahhh, Heero!" he enthused and Heero could practically imagine the slight man smiling wistfully as he sifted through a rack of clothes – or whatever it was image consultants did with their time.

"Winner," Heero replied shortly by way of greeting.

"How can I help you? I've heard about your unplugged tour – bold move but with your lovely voice you'll surely pull it off beautifully – though it's a bit early for an image consult, don't you think? I'd hate for you to be out of style in six months..."

"No, that's not why I'm calling." Although he was sure Quatre wouldn't judge him or ask a single question about his request, he suddenly found himself fumbling with his words, unsure of what to say. "I – I want to book a choreographer. I want to learn to dance."

As Heero thought, Quatre didn't say a single thing about the strange request, though he was sure there was a hint of amusement in the already light and joyful voice. "Ah, what kind of dancing were you thinking? Salsa, ballroom, swing...?"

Of course. That question. "Like Duo Maxwell," he ground out through gritted teeth and Wufei looked up from his computer and shot him a very condescending and accusational glance that forced Heero to stand and walk out of his office.

"I see," Quatre hummed, although it sounded like he didn't understand the request at all. "Well, I know Trowa Barton is going to be over your way in a few weeks to coach Relena on the dance steps for their pending music video. He is Duo's personal choreographer. I can see if I can get you in with him while he's on L1."

Wow. The genuine article. Really couldn't argue with that. "That would be great," he replied honestly. "You have my card on file to retain him, right? I don't care what it costs."

"Oh of course I do!" Quatre responded but the rest of his words were lost on Heero who, while wandering through the office halls, ran straight into a secretary carrying two glasses of wine. As they were both staring out the windows across the city, neither saw the other's approach and the collision was messy.

"Seriously?" Heero glared at the girl, her profuse apologies doing nothing to quell his anger.

"...Heero?" Quatre's concerned voice broke his concentration from the humiliated girl.

"Look, I'm sorry Winner, I have to go. But just book him, huh? And have him call me and we'll discuss where and when to meet." Heero inspected his shirt and pants, dripping with red wine, and realized he was going to have to go to the bathroom and deal with it.

"Sure, sure," he agreed easily and they end the call. Sparing one last glance for the girl, he walked with single-minded purpose through the halls and out to the lobby before slinking shamefully into the bathroom.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath as he grabbed a wad of paper towels and began try to blot the wine down, knowing the stain would be permanent and fully expecting to have to throw the clothes away. He just didn't want to be dripping on the walk back to his apartment.

But his whole body immediately tensed up when suddenly he felt another person press up against him from behind, sliding hands into his pockets and squeezing his thighs, uncomfortably close to his crotch. He jerked his head up and stared at the mirror, unable to believe the face that was grinning from ear to ear, chin resting on his shoulder, meeting his eyes in the reflective glass with a playful gleam.

Duo Maxwell.

"Looks like you had a little accident," he mused, breathing into Heero's ear and causing an immediate physical reaction he was sure Duo felt, his hands being right there and all.

"What are you doing here?" Heero managed to make himself ask and Duo shrugged, his fingers beginning to massage his thighs, creeping ever closer to his quickly hardening dick.

"Oh, yanno, big wigs, big times, same old, new single," he replied in a very obscure way. "A little miffed you didn't even notice me in the lobby."

Heero's heart caught at the confession. So, Duo didn't like to be slighted, huh? He made a mental note, although he didn't give Duo the satisfaction of an apology.

"How long are you here for?" Heero asked then, breathlessly, leaning over to grip the sink as Duo's fingers brushed against his balls, the silky feel of his pockets only adding to the intensity of the sensation.

"Limited edition – one day only," Duo's voice lilted teasingly over the words and Heero grabbed his wrists, desperate, and turned around in his arms, over powering him and shoving him backwards into the handicap stall, slamming the door shut. Away from prying eyes.

He had him pressed against the wall in seconds flat and was kissing his ear, biting it, nipping down his neck and sucking at the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

"So serious," he joked, letting himself be manhandled for a minute, clearly enjoying the attention. Heero reached down and was pleased to find Duo already hard as he cupped him in his hand, rubbing his palm against his jeans. Duo jerked his head to the side, shutting his eyes, breathing heavily. So much more submissive than last time.

But no sooner had he thought the words than Duo brought his head back around, his eyes heavy with lust, making Heero want to throw him on the floor and fuck him right there. Duo reached out and gripped Heero's belt, tugging it forward mischievously and Heero complied, slipping his hands to Duo's ass as he brought their hips together. Heero buried his face in the crook of Duo's neck, moaning softly as they ground against each other, cocks sliding back and forth, the friction, the locale, the situation, the unexpectedness, the partner – almost more than Heero could physically bear.

He came back. He saw Heero and he could've let the whole thing go. Heero didn't even notice he was there. But he couldn't. He wanted him enough to follow him in. He was that memorable. That thought pleased Heero immensely and he couldn't help but smirk a little from his protected position against Duo's neck.

Heero quickly trailed kisses up his neck and teased his earlobe with his teeth before whispering the invitation. "Come back with me."

Duo let it go for a minute as they continued their erotic movements but Heero wanted an answer – wanted to fuck, and not in this bathroom, even despite how clean and nice it was – and he looked Duo straight in the eye, the question written all over his face.

"Thought I told you," Duo retorted a bit haughtily. "Ain't love. No apartments."

Heero stopped, as difficult as it was to do so, and stared at the other man with what he knew was probably an unpleasant expression.

"How many rules do you have?" he asked in frustration.

Duo shrugged. "Enough."

Heero felt himself grow cold and without thinking he pinned Duo against the wall, one forearm, although resting gently, effectively immobilizing him with its position against his neck. He brought his nose close, running it along side Duo's, and his lips were only a fraction of an inch away. The desire to close that tiny distance and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of him was nearly overwhelming but his desire to retain Duo's respect was higher still – if only marginally.

He closed his eyes and sighed, washing Duo's lips with his breath, and ever so quietly promised, "one day you'll let me." Pressed up against him as he was, he felt the uncontrollable shiver run through Duo's body at his words, his hands trembling against his waist, and Heero felt that overriding joyous rush in the pit of his stomach that assured him he absolutely melted Duo with that one simple act. The implication so grand, so bold, so fucking presumptuous, he was sure no one had _ever_ said anything like it to Duo before.

I'll make you love me.

And then Heero did the one thing he didn't want to do. He pulled away, completely separating himself from the other man, and walked to the door. He opened it, stepped out, and then paused. Without looking back, he issued his warning.

"Don't you dare try to fuck with Relena to get to me."

And despite how much he wanted to see Duo's facial expression, he forced himself to move forward without a single glance back.

He made it all the way out to the street before he let himself sag against the wall, running a shaking hand across his face and trying to regain control of his breathing which was suddenly coming in ragged pants.

Holy shit.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out, noting the message from Quatre.

"Booked him!" was all it said.

Perfect timing.


	3. Chapter 3

"We're going to be at Prohibition tonight," Relena practically squealed and Heero fought the urge not to grimace as he was on video. "Duo says we have to give a little preview of our routine tonight. You should come out and see me. And if you like what you see, you ought to come out to the bicentennial wall Monday night to see the filming. I put your name on the admittance list." The coy look in her eyes was worse than the squeal, but only because it meant that he would be an eventual disappointment to her.

If Heero were a smarter, less infatuated, less sexually frustrated man, he would've made the decision to steer clear of Prohibition as soon as the words left her lips. But instead he was making the opposite plan, finding himself caring less and less if he hurt Relena in his quest to make Duo Maxwell his.

And to some degree he _needed_ to see Duo again. He wasn't sure if the four weeks he spent learning to dance with Barton were a stroke of genius or a terrible, terrible mistake. Barton immediately saw through his newly acquired interest in dancing but didn't harass him about it. Instead, he did his best to teach his new student well enough to hold his own on the floor with Duo as a partner. And Heero felt, after hours of dancing almost every day, that he could finally compete with the object of his desire. The problem was, hours of dancing with the handsome, quiet, and undeniably sexy Trowa Barton began to cloud his thoughts and warp his mind. If he hadn't started the venture for Duo, he knew he would've asked Trowa back to his place on several occasions last week. And he was pretty sure Trowa knew it too and wouldn't have turned him down. And maybe Trowa would've been the better choice – a thought Heero was forced to think about a hundred times a day – but despite their undeniable chemistry Heero was nothing if not stubborn and he felt he just _had_ to see Duo one more time before pursuing the choreographer earnestly.

"Maybe," Heero replied as he broke free from his thoughts and started into Relena's questioning eyes. He should've known better than to reply with uncertainty as Relena had the nature of a pit-bull and was persistent as hell.

"Heero," she chided, "say you'll come. It won't be that bad. Bring Wufei."

Instead of answering, because he knew in all reality that he would most certainly be there and he didn't want her to think it would be for her, he changed the subject. "You know it wasn't you, right?"

Confusion crossed her delicate features and Heero felt a brief moment of pride at his ability to catch her off-guard.

"Our relationship," he clarified. "It wasn't you. You were perfect, wonderful really. It was me. And I mean that."

She waved a hand diplomatically and opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything Heero told her he had to go and cut the connection. Why was it every time he tried to tell her, he just couldn't force the words out of his mouth? He visited many a gay bar, took home men for one night stands, told Wufei straight to his face the reason he broke up with her, but when it came to saying those two little words to Relena herself, he became paralyzed with fear.

He ran a hand across his face, rubbing it roughly. He had plenty of time to contemplate the folly of getting into a relationship with her in the first place while he decided what he was going to wear and prepared himself for tonight.

Heero chose to actively avoid telling Wufei about his plans tonight, although his friend and agent did end up calling and seeing if he was up to anything. He just wasn't sure if he could take any more of his harassment regarding Duo and his dance lessons and besides, he began to desperately hope tonight would be the night he would finally get Duo and a bed alone. Or at least a car seat – he wasn't going to be _that_ picky.

He chose an outfit similar to the one he wore the first time they met, a particular fan of the notion that less was more. Duo typically wore something bold and colorful with outrageous and flashy accessories – oversized belt buckles, rings on all his fingers, knee-high polished combat boots, snakeskin pants, purple fedoras. Heero wanted to emphasized that he wasn't from that world, wanted to seem unique and grounded against his heady fantasy. Quatre told him once that his earthy quality was what attracted people to him, so stick with that. He didn't exactly understand what an "earthy quality" was but he took the image consultant to heart and tried to follow his advice.

When he rolled up to the club he knew the place was already packed. It was smaller and more intimate than Avenue, which made Heero feel it was a surprising choice for someone as outgoing and enigmatic as Duo. There was no mezzanine, just a circular bar surrounding the small, dark dance floor. There was a balcony level and an open roof nicknamed "heaven" but Heero felt the whole place was far more his style than Duo's.

And he couldn't help but wonder if it was an invitation addressed specifically to him.

When he walked in he gave his eyes a minute to adjust to the light by ordering a drink and then he walked the length of the bar, sweeping the dance floor with his eyes. Although he spotted Relena, he didn't see Duo until he was almost walking right into him as he was leaning against the bar, conversing loudly with the actor standing next to him. He immediately found himself retreating back down the bar, unprepared to deal with Duo so suddenly, and he swallowed back his whiskey quickly, reevaluating his so-called foolproof plan.

Luckily he didn't have to wait long until Duo was back on the dance floor with Relena and he waited for three songs to pass and Relena's expression to grow just a tad weary before pounding the rest of his third drink and slipping onto the dance floor.

The slight buzz he was working on propelled him forward despite his growing uncertainty. Trying to bolster his confidence, he remembered what Trowa said the first time they met, when he explained his desire to dance like Duo.

"I didn't teach Duo how to dance like that," he confessed quietly, "that's just how Duo moves. You'll never be able to copy that sensuality, that grace – it's in his DNA." Heero was dismayed by that until Trowa continued. "But I can teach you how to dance like you." And true to his word, Trowa taught him how to dance, but he was more forceful and aggressive where Duo was playful and teasing, and Heero hoped it would be enough.

He came up behind Duo, mimicking the way Duo surprised him in the bathroom at Wufei's office, and gripped his hips, immediately grinding into him as the next song started. Quickly he buried his head into Duo's shoulder so he didn't have to see Relena's expression as she stood across from them, less than a foot away, and he nudged down Duo's teal shirt with his nose so that he could lay his lips against his neck. Duo for his part melted back against him, instantly knowing who his mystery partner had to be, and rocked his hips back, making Heero grunt softly.

Then Heero noticed all the shouting and laughter around them and the space that cleared once the other people on the floor saw what was happening. It wasn't that two men dancing was a unique experience in this day and age – it was who those two men happened to be. Heero was infamous around Relena's friends for not being much of a dancer and Duo, despite the rumors of his sexuality, _never_ danced with men.

In what was really only moments after the beat of the song had started, though to Heero it felt much longer, Duo shifted away from him for a moment and turned to face him. And then all thoughts of Relena disappeared and Heero's breath caught in this throat as he took in the handsome man before him. He had multicolored feathers woven into the left side of his hair and was wearing thick gold eyeliner under his eyes, giving him a very native appearance. Heero wanted to fuck the plan, drag him in and kiss him, but Duo's pleased and teasing smile reminded him of what he was there to do.

Duo sashayed his hips back and forth until they were pressed against Heero's and Heero fought to maintain in control of his brain as his body took over. Duo slid a hand up his neck and grabbed his hair, yanking his head to the side, biting down on his neck in a very erotic and vampiric way. The song was fast and in the next beat Heero grabbed Duo's wrists and twisted him around, locking him against his body, their arms criss-crossed in front of Duo, and he rolled his hips aggressively against Duo's ass.

He could tell Duo was laughing from the way his throat moved under his lips, the power play on the dance floor exactly what Heero had hoped it would be – an unexpected, unusual but thoroughly enjoyable experience for Duo. He managed to jerk his hands out of Heero's grip and while Heero moved his hands to Duo's waist, Duo dropped his to Heero's thighs, teasing him by sliding them quickly up to his ass. The move made Heero moan, his inexperience obvious as he couldn't stop the act from turning him on, and Duo gained the upper hand again, turning in his arms.

Duo slipped his legs around one of Heero's, sliding all the way up so that they were locked together, and Heero gripped his ass, arms trembling slightly as that strong leg rubbed against his throbbing erection. Heero couldn't understand how people danced like this for hours, the friction would surely make him come if he had to dance like this for longer than the end of this song. And then Duo began to undulate against him, pulling his hips away and then slamming them forward and into Heero's as the rest of his body followed the motion upward to start again. Each time those hips collided with his he fought to keep his hold on Duo's ass – and his upright position. But his knees were weak and the effort of rolling his hips left and right in time with Duo was becoming unbearable.

Realizing then that Duo was overpowering him again he decided to do something drastic to regain control. He slipped to the side and turned, forcing _his_ ass back against Duo's hips and throwing his head back over his shoulder, tilting it ever so slightly to gaze at Duo's face. Duo was laughing in delight, a big grin splitting his face, and Heero decided that look was definitely worth putting himself in a more submissive position. He slid his hands from Heero's waist to the front of his hips, guiding Heero's rocking motion with them as well as his own hips and Heero was grateful that Duo seemed to understand this position wasn't his forte and to go easy on him. But to be honest he found himself enjoying the ability to take a moment to lean back against the other man, feel his hands on him, Duo's nose teasing his ear, that soft breath panting against his neck.

As the song reached it's apex, Duo slid around so that they were facing each other again, grinding quickly to the beat. And then he winked, a warning that immediately made Heero tense up, and he felt Duo's hands rest firmly on his hips and then he jumped up, locking his knees around Heero's waist. Heero managed to catch him deftly, his hands groping his ass as Duo slid his fingers into Heero's hair. Heero felt himself quiver at the sight of those gorgeous eyes staring down at him, full of lust, and his face slid forward in an imitation of Heero's promise in the bathroom stall, his lips getting so close all Heero had to do was press forward half an inch and he would be able to claim Duo as his own.

But then it was over. And people were clapping and whistling and showing their general appreciation for the spectacle with hoots and hollers before resuming their own private dances, the floor descending around them again. And the up tempo, fast and furious song they had been dancing to merged into a slow, heavy beat. And Heero hesitantly let Duo slide of out his arms. But to his absolute delight, Duo stayed there, and they rocked slowly against one another.

Heero rested his head against Duo's, so that his mouth was at his ear and he wouldn't have to shout over the oppressive music. "You have a rule about hotel rooms?"

Duo was chuckling into Heero's ear and his lips brushed against it, causing Heero to shiver uncontrollably. "Yeah. You have to buy me a drink first."

Heero drew back a moment to look into his eyes, trying to gauge if he was serious or not. It seemed silly considering he'd had his mouth on his dick not _that_ long ago, but if Duo wanted a drink, he'd buy him the whole damn bar if he had to. But Duo's eyes shown with amusement and he shook his head slightly to let Heero know he was, in fact, joking.

"I have to shut down this club," Duo shouted his explanation and waved his hand in a sweeping gesture. Heero thought he saw a moment of disappointment, but didn't let himself get too hopeful. He was a little frustrated himself though he tried not to let it show. His sort of publicity didn't involve making a big scene at a public place so he didn't really understand what Duo had to do to keep up appearances. He had to take him at his word. And anyway, he knew complaining about it wouldn't get him very far.

"I'll wait," Heero replied, not looking forward to the next four hours but resigning himself to his fate. Maybe he should've invited Wufei after all. He certainly would've liked to see the shocked look on his face after that demonstration.

Heero released him to a horde of women who were waiting to get a taste of Duo and he found himself being faced with a less demanding but similar issue, to his surprise. But it was easy to shake them away and he got himself a drink before heading to the balcony to watch.

He was honestly pretty drunk when Relena wandered by almost two hours later and pinned him with puffy red eyes. He couldn't believe he had forgotten all about her. Now he was going to have to deal with her, drunk as he was, and he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. She nodded towards the stairs to heaven and he swallowed back the rest of his drink, stood, and followed her wordlessly up to the rooftop.

They found a secluded space off to a corner and Heero fell back into the plush chair while she sat straight and forward a bit, neither one of them looking at the other. A couple of minutes passed before Heero found his voice and quite quickly announced that he was "really drunk," feeling like a warning was appropriate and that she shouldn't take what he said right then very seriously.

But Relena was undaunted and she twisted her hands in her lap. "Why didn't you just tell me you were gay?" she asked sullenly, finally turning to meet his gaze.

"Told you – it wasn't you," Heero responded, a bit more petulantly than he would've liked.

"Yeah but Heero, _all_ men say that!" she spat back in irritation. "I spent over two _years_ wondering what about me didn't appeal to you. It's not like I was somehow unaware you never wanted to have sex with me. It hurt me so bad to know that you didn't want me. Don't you understand that?"

Heero could tell she was on the verge of tears again but he didn't know what to say. And apparently Relena wasn't done laying on the guilt because as soon as she caught her breath she continued again.

"You touched... _him_ more intimately in those few minutes you danced together than you ever touched me in our whole relationship," she explained, her hands shaking in anger. "Why would you do that to me? First of all, I'm completely humiliated. Everyone knows how you used to refuse to dance with me but you show up here, dancing like _that_ , with _him_... I mean... And then, to not even warn me, your ex, your _friend_ , about something like that...! I just don't know what to say Heero. I'm just really, really hurt."

"Wanted to tell you..." Heero mumbled feebly, knowing it was too late now. The guilt he felt surprised and overwhelmed him. It really _wasn't_ fair to her, and he knew that going in, he just pushed it to the back of his brain so he didn't have to face it.

"Well, you didn't," she stated coldly and stood. "I think it would be a bad idea for you to come to the filming Monday." Now she knew. He wouldn't have been going for her anyway, he would've gone for Duo. And the warning was clear. And then she was gone.

In his inebriated state Heero felt both her emotions and his own more poignantly than he expected and he realized in that instant that he simply had to get out of there. He wanted to be home, alone, with a bottle, so that he could pass the fuck out and pretend that conversation never happened.

He found himself stumbling down the stairs and out to his car, climbing in and driving a few blocks before realizing he was entirely too drunk to be doing that and pulling sloppily into a gas station. And then he put the top up on the Viper, wandered into the gas station, purchased a six pack, and sat in his car and slammed them back until he could convince himself that the water in his eyes wasn't tears and he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning after Prohibition wasn't what Heero would call a high point in his life. He woke up to a cop tapping on his window, asking him to move along. He drove home way under the speed limit, his vision still swimming with the lingering effects of drunkenness, and even considering the relatively short drive back to his apartment he still had to pull over to throw up into the street, totally unconcerned if anyone saw him, not thinking about the lecture Wufei would give him if they did.

And while home nursing his hang over he realized just how badly he'd fucked things up. Not only had he totally jilted Relena, who was his friend _and_ someone with powerful connections in the media, but he also broke his promise to Duo and left the club without him. What had started out as a great night dissolved into absolute shit simply because he was too big a pussy to tell Relena the truth.

At first he just tried not to think about it. His throbbing head competing for attention against the sick feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with alcohol. But after a ton of aspirin, a long nap in his comfy bed, and a little bit of food he felt prepared to plan an apology.

Of course he had some reservations about showing up at the filming, chief among them that Relena removed his name from the list and that they wouldn't let him in. But when he got there he was thankfully admitted without hassle.

He dressed down, jeans and a black t, so that he had a chance of being overlooked in the crowd. He didn't really think it mattered what he wore anymore, anyway. His big apology was planned for Relena. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Duo.

The first thing he did was find her trailer and asked the guard outside to place the two dozen roses and heartfelt apology card in there for her to find when she got back. It was a simple gesture but he knew her well enough to know that anything flashier would be seen as insincere, especially from him. Writing that card had been difficult for him. He admitted a lot of things to her that he didn't much care to think about but which needed to be said. How much easier his life would have been if it had worked out between them. How much he regretted leading her on. How difficult thing were for him since their break up.

He couldn't be much more honest with her. He felt like after that, the ball was in her court. And frankly he was relieved to get some of it off his chest. He couldn't exactly tell Wufei about his dating issues – despite the fact that his friend took his sexuality in stride, he still didn't exactly want to hear the nitty-gritty details – and while your ex-girlfriend was clearly not the best option either, the two of them were really the only true friends he had.

After that was accomplished he went to hang back with the film crews and watch. The bicentennial wall was erected on L1 in AC 199 as a celebration of everything that humanity went through in the past two hundred years of space colonization. L1 was unique in that it had a huge viewing glass that stretched from the ground to the full height of the colony ceiling and almost as far as the eye could see in either direction, left and right. It was an expensive, ridiculous, over-engineered work of art that was immediately nixed from the other colonies as wasteful.* But the bicentennial wall was built right in front of that vista because it was the most damned beautiful thing you would ever see. The stars were luminous and striking from that vantage point in space, the moon blown up huge due to proximity when the orbit was right – and tonight, it was right. Even Heero still found it breathtaking and he grew up on L1.

But it paled in comparison to Duo Maxwell, sitting atop the fifteen-foot wall, throwing back a cola as he waited for Relena to get her feathered headdress fixed. He was wearing a fox skin headdress of his own, the nose of it jutting across his forehead, the paws resting on his shoulders. His shirt was white and open, exposing paw prints painted onto his chest as well as his rippling abs. His jeans were slung low on his hips and he wore thick brown combat boots. Heero's heart squeezed in his chest to see him looking so casual and at ease. He smiled easily and yelled down to Trowa, laughing at the reply. Heero couldn't help but wish he were there, joking around with them, not on the outskirts, looking in longingly.

Then Relena was being lifted back up onto the wall, walking over to Duo, and even she looked beautiful in her native princess garb, feathers twisted in her hair and running down her back, leopard spots painted up and down her legs and thighs, a shiny, form-fitting navy dress clinging to her curves, a high pair of yellow pumps making Heero nervous she'd fall right off that wall, despite it being five feet wide. They chatted for a minute before Duo stood and hugged her. Heero wondered bleakly what was said about him in the past forty-eight hours, but whatever it was seemed to bring those two even closer than ever.

And then it was all business. Their dance routine seemed to be a playful flirtation of him trying to woo her and they slipped in and out of each other's arms, Relena giving chase while Duo pursued her. Instead of feeling jealousy as their bodies grinded against each other, Heero mostly felt heart ache, realizing he would likely never have the opportunity to touch Duo like that again.

It took them nearly three hours for the film guys to be satisfied with the take. Heero didn't have much experience with on-location music videos. The few he'd recorded were mostly in studios or bars or bedrooms, atmospheres lending to his subdued image. He knew that this type of shoot the musicians usually stayed overnight – hence the trailers – and the film guys would go over the video and shoot anything else they needed the next day. But three hours seemed quite a while for a four-minute video to him, though he was clearly no expert.

It was nearly midnight by the time they were letting Duo and Relena go. Heero took careful pains to stay with the staff and avoid her. He knew he shouldn't have been trying to avoid Duo, but part of him did consider salvaging this operation by asking Trowa out right then and there.

Instead he found himself following Duo back to his trailer quietly, hoping that he'd have a moment of divine inspiration before Duo disappeared for good. Unfortunately he wasn't quite as good a tail as he thought and when they were about ten feet from the trailer Duo turned around, arms across his chest, and called him out. Heero stepped forward to face the other man, although a bit reluctantly.

"You left me," he stated flatly. Heero knew it would be a point of contention with him, knowing he hated to be slighted.

"This ain't love," Heero replied bitterly. Duo's eyes flashed with anger at his own words being used against him.

He stalked up to Heero then and Heero was vaguely worried he was going to punch him. But instead, he did something worse. He didn't touch him at all. He just stood there, letting Heero smell the sweat and sex that naturally oozed out of him, letting Heero take a long, hard look at his toned and sexy body, glaring at him.

"That's right it ain't love," Duo snapped. "'Cause love ain't real."

Heero fought the urge to laugh at the ridiculous statement. "That's why you only sing about sex and drugs and the streets? Because you don't believe in love?"

Duo didn't take kindly to the amusement in his words. "That's right. I sing about shit that's real, unlike your pussy-ass lyrics – you're the most _beautiful_ bitch this and let me make some more fuckin' _loooove_ to you that." His voice slid over the word 'love' mockingly and his lips curled like he was going to spit. Heero couldn't help but chuckle at such an extreme aversion to the idea of love. "Love is just a bad reason for people to feel shitty about themselves. Like poor fucking 'Lena there, feelin' low over a gay guy, and for what? Your so-called fucking love."

"Leave her out of this," Heero growled dangerously.

"Why?" Duo asked, seeing that he had the upper hand. "Had she been in it for the sex, she'd a realized it wasn't gonna work a long fuckin' time ago, right? Spared ya both some fuckin' suffering..." Heero couldn't argue with that and Duo turned around, knowing he won.

He watched as the braided man climbed up the three stairs to the trailer and opened the door. He almost turned to leave but then Duo turned around, studying him critically in the darkness.

"Aren't you comin' up?" he asked and Heero was truly stunned by the offer after the chewing out he'd just received. Duo sighed in a loud and exaggerated way. "This ain't fucking love, 'member?"

Although he had his reservations, he certainly wasn't going to turn Duo down now. He followed the other man into the trailer – which was really not much more than a place for a big ass bed and I private shower – and Duo immediately slipped out of his shirt, throwing it to the side. It was the first time Heero noticed the other man's tattoos, which he had only gotten brief glimpses of in pictures and videos. A huge half sleeve was inked into his left arm with an elaborate cross flanked by calla lilies and underneath it on his ribs was a three-column list of names spanning from his pec to his hips. His right arm contradicted the left with a crouching, cloaked grim reaper holding a scythe, huge wings cropping from it's back and encircling it, words written on the inside of his arm but hidden from Heero's vantage point.

Duo kept the lights low but hit a stereo that was already set up with some slow, down beat music and a woman's throaty voice singing close to the mic, not unlike the way Heero did. Duo grabbed some lube and condoms out of a drawer in a very forward way and threw them on the bed. Then he was back across the small space, standing in front of Heero, looking a bit vulnerable as he stood before him in the dim light.

But then he began to sway his hips slowly and he slipped his arms around Heero's shoulders, burying his head against his neck. Heero couldn't help himself, despite his hesitation he returned the embrace, rocking back and forth leisurely with him to the relaxed beat of the music.

Duo might not have believed in love, but in that perfect moment, Heero couldn't help but feel himself start to fall.

Heero couldn't help the way his body reacted as Duo began trailing kisses up his neck to his ear, nibbling it and stroking it with his tongue. He breathed softly, pressing Duo closer to him, relishing in the intimate gesture. And then Heero was running his fingertips from Duo's pants up and across his ribs, causing him to shiver and pause, pressing his head against Heero's, cheek to cheek. Heero slid one hand up his back and cradled his head gently as the other traced circles across the small of his back. Duo's hands were slipping down Heero's strong body, then, slipping into his back pockets, and he sighed into the tender touches.

Then Heero was kissing his jaw, then under his ear, then down his neck and he felt Duo's hips jerk forward into his and he slipped his hand around to grope him, pleased to find him already getting hard. Duo tilted his hips back and forth against Heero's hand, moaning quietly into his ear, the sound of his growing desire quickly making Heero hard as well.

And then it all changed. Duo was suddenly on offense, pressed up against him, forcing him backward into the counter space, grinding against him almost painfully. His forehead was pressed against Heero's, his eyes closed, their noses touching and Heero looked down to those lips, the forbidden fruit, and he realized they were quivering. That Duo was biting down into his lower lip, restraining himself. _Fuck_. That realization made Heero painfully hard, and he gripped either side of Duo's head, digging his fingers into his hair, forcing himself not to kiss him as he careened forward, throwing Duo onto the bed and climbing on top of him. He bit down hard into Duo's neck to stop himself from completing the kiss.

Duo gasped and struggled under him, his hips bucking up violently, but Heero had his wrists pinned to the bed and there was nothing he could do to stop Heero's teeth on his neck, his shoulder. Or so Heero thought. But Duo shifted and brought his thigh up to stroke against Heero's crotch. The sudden friction made Heero grunt and pause, his eyes slamming shut, which gave Duo an opening to overpower him.

He freed his wrists from Heero's grip and grabbed at the hem of his shirt, ripping it up to his shoulders. Heero sat back on his knees and completed the action, pulling the shirt over his head. Duo leaned back on his elbows, eyeing his body appreciative and Heero suddenly felt very exposed, a feeling he hadn't had with any of the men he'd been with since Relena. He felt his cheeks get hot and hoped Duo wouldn't be able to see his blush in the darkness.

Duo reached up and brushed his fingertips against Heero's abs, feeling his stomach tremor against the gentle touch. He grinned and slipped out from under Heero, sitting up on his knees, kissing Heero's cheeks, and nose, and temples, and eyes as he closed them against the simple, affectionate gesture. He felt Duo's fingers trail down his body, pausing to tease his nipples, garnering a short gasp for his efforts, and slip under his waistband. Heero was panting as those nimble fingers teased the sensitive flesh on his hips. And then Duo was unbuttoning his pants and Heero's eyes shot open to stare at the other man. Duo looked up at him, making sure it was okay, and Heero returned the action, his own hands finding Duo's waistband, fumbling with the button as they raced against each other.

Unfortunately Duo beat him but Heero was only a few seconds late, and he pushed Duo back onto the bed, forcing him down with a hand on his throat as he trailed kisses across his body. He paused at a nipple, biting it and eliciting a delicious, guttural groan from his partner before moving further downward. Heero removed his hand from Duo's throat and slid off the bed so that he could embrace Duo's cock with his mouth. Duo muttered obscenities as Heero rolled his tongue across him, holding his hips still, and Duo buried his fingers in his hair, twisting it painfully, unhappy that he was the center of attention but unable to fight it off. Heero relieved him of his dilemma and yanked off his pants completely.

Duo caught his breath then grinned as he watched Heero slip off his own pants. He grabbed Heero's waist, pulling him forward and returning the attention, gripping his balls in one hand as he sucked hard on his dick. His fingertips brushed against Heero's ass and his breath escaped him. Although he was reluctant to bottom for anyone, he prepared himself for the reality that Duo could very easily overwhelm him and there would be not a damned thing he could do about it.

But that didn't mean he was going to make it easy for him.

Despite how much he knew he'd regret making that mouth leave his dick, he brought his hands up firmly under Duo's knees and threw him backwards, further up the bed. Duo laughed in surprise and Heero threw himself over the other man, grabbing the lube on his way up. He ground his hips into Duo's, fighting to maintain control as the feeling of their hips like this, devoid of any barrier, caused his vision to darken in lust, in need. He heard the guttural sounds coming from beneath him and managed to spread lube on his fingers before Duo regained control of himself. And then slipped down a bit and had his fingers inside Duo.

"Aw fuckin' hell, man," he ground out, fingernails digging into Heero's shoulders. He felt him out gently, carefully, making sure that he prepped him well as he was pretty sure Duo felt just about the same way he did about bottoming. And if he was going to let him – still something Heero didn't feel certain about – he sure wasn't going to go about it half-assed, so to speak, and hurt him.

But when Heero slipped his fingers out and trailed them across his balls and up his dick, making Duo's legs shake weakly, he was surprised to find his partner determined not to give up quite yet. In a show of strength Heero didn't realize he had, Duo made a quick motion, throwing his body weight and taking down Heero's torso so that the rest of his body followed suite and quickly he realized he was pinned underneath him. Duo was snatching a condom and Heero took a few deep breaths, trying to relax himself for the imminent penetration.

To his surprise, Duo was sliding the condom onto him and positioning himself above him. He moaned helplessly once he realized what Duo was about to do, and he grabbed his partner's hips tightly, squeezing them as Duo lowered himself onto him.

The feeling of entering him, being inside him, was certainly more than Heero could've ever imagined – but it wasn't until Duo started moving that he was fairly sure he would never be content to fuck anyone else ever again. He rolled his hips slowly in time with the heavy music Heero'd almost forgotten about, throwing his head back in his own pleasure. Heero watched him intently, fascinated by the way he looked, enraptured, ethereal in the low lighting. He felt himself eke closer to the edge when he remembered his initial promise to Duo the first time they'd met. He'd be the best fuck he ever had. And right now, despite the pleasure written all over his face, Duo was doing all the work. Duo was becoming the best fuck _he'd_ ever had, but hardly the other way around. And that wasn't fair.

He brought his hands up to Duo's waist, halting him, and then he rolled his shoulders up and flipped him over onto his back. He'd had to pull out significantly to manage the maneuver and once they were in position he buried himself back into Duo's warmth quickly, causing Duo to cry out. Although he was trembling and fighting not to collapse from the action himself, he realized then that Duo couldn't help himself. He liked it like that. And Heero grabbed the lube, quickly coating his hand in it before slipping that hand around Duo's throbbing, neglected dick.

Quickly he set a fast pace that had Duo begging him to fuck him, harder, every time he slammed into him. Duo locked his knees around Heero's hips, forcing him not to pull out as far as he'd liked to have, and his hands clawed as Heero's back in a way that was distinctly painful and pleasurable simultaneously. He was panting and he bowed his head against Duo's chest, sweat dripping from his face as he moved, quickly, deliberately, in his own furious rhythm. He growled low in his throat as he felt himself climax, burying his hips deep into Duo and jerking forward spastically. He managed to just barely remain in control enough to finish Duo off with a few more strokes and then he heard Duo gasp and mutter a few "holy fucks" at the same that he felt Duo's hot cum sling across his chest, making Heero shiver in delight even within the aftershock of his own orgasm.

Heero leaned over him like that for a minute, both of them breathing heavy and ragged, feeling weak with exertion and the emotional release of orgasm. Finally Heero realized he was going to have to leave him at some point, despite how much he wanted that moment to last forever, and he pulled out gently before collapsing on the bed next to the man he'd desired for so long.

He couldn't help it. He reached out and grasped Duo's hand as they breathed in the cooling air and to his immense pleasure Duo didn't deny him the touch. Instead Duo slipped his fingers loosely between his, unable to do much more as he recovered.

At some point the music stopped and the room fell silent and the only thing they could hear was each other's quiet breathing. And then, softly and with a certain amount of reservation Duo's spoke.

"You're going to have to leave. I have a thing about guys spending the night. Not love, ya know."

Heero sat up, incredulous, and stared down at the man he'd just fucked. Was he fucking _serious_? He was covered in drying cum, sweaty as hell, parked over a fucking mile away, it was at _least_ one in the morning if not past that – and Duo was laughing. His whole body was shaking and he rolled slightly back and forth. Heero glared for good measure as he fell back into the bed next to his cruel but incredibly sexy fuck.

"So gullible!" he crowed in delight as Heero scowled. But his lips tweaked at the edges, unable to be truly angry at Duo's amusement.

And then Duo was rearranging him so that he could snuggle up against his chest, and Heero complied, slipping an arm under his head and around his shoulders, locking him in place against his body. He kissed the top of Duo's head as Duo breathed a contented sigh and in no time at all, they were fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Something people don't think about that my husband and I, being the sci-fi nerds that we are, discuss frequently is viewing portals in space are incredibly difficult to accomplish. You almost have to use some kind of energy force field because any type of damage to it would compromise the structural integrity of the colony/space ship/etc. And there's a lot of random junk floating in space so the likelihood of collision is very, very high. Just so ya know. ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

When Heero awoke, tangled as he was in the limbs of Duo Maxwell, he smiled to himself before realizing he was in that uncomfortable limbo between breakfast and lunch and he was fucking starving. He took a moment to appreciate the sleeping figure, sure that he had never seen anything so diabolical – that strong body inert, sharp tongue coiled, wrapping the intractable man in a lovely visage of false innocence. And then he slipped out from underneath the apparently _very_ heavy sleeper.

He threw on his clothes, knowing that he looked like hell and smelled like stale sex, but determined to get something to eat and bring it back before Duo woke up. Although he knew he should just walk out that door and not turn back, he couldn't help himself, even despite forcing himself to remember their previous conversation. Duo didn't believe in love, he'd never love him, it was a lost cause, it was only sex. But the image of those lips, so close to his own, teeth restraining them made him weak and he felt, if only Duo would give him half a chance...

The trailer guard glared at him warily as he left Duo's temporary residence and he tried not to return the gesture. Surely it did look a bit more than suspicious that he was dropping roses off at Relena's then leaving Duo's the next morning but it was really none of this damned business anyway. He managed to find a table of left over breakfast pastries and coffee warmers and prepared a rather large plate for them with only a few questioning looks from lingering camera crews. Quickly he returned, avoiding the guard, and he was pleased to note he made it back before Duo awoke.

He took of his clothes before slipping back into bed, curling up around the other man whose eyelashes fluttered as he melted into the touch. Heero kissed his neck and Duo's fingers sought out his own, finding them and twisting them together.

"'Ro?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep, and Heero hummed an affirmative, a bit pleased with the nickname.

"Brought you breakfast," he murmured back, teasing Duo's ear with his tongue. Duo gasped and reached down to stroke himself through the sheets to ease the tension of his uncomfortable morning erection.

The motion made Heero's stomach seize with desire and he quickly reached down to replace Duo's hand with his own. Duo made little helpless sounds as Heero's broad thumb stroked up and down his length. He tilted his head forward and kissed the corner of Duo's mouth. Not quite the lips, but close, closer than he'd ever dared himself to get to that prize. Duo shot him a cautious look but he retreated quickly, slipping under the sheets to trail kisses down his body to his hips, which he lingered on, causing Duo's dick to twitch, desperate for friction and the warmth of his mouth.

Heero reached up and fondled his nipples, pleased that Duo was finally giving in, letting him be on offense, not challenging and making him work for it. And when he noted that Duo could hardly take any more, his dick dripping precum, hips jerking forward, he finally gave him what he wanted.

Slowly, lovingly he sucked him off, taking his time and lulling his tongue over every fold and crevice until Duo was gripping the sheets with his hands, moaning his name with his favorite expletive despite himself. Heero tried to keep his wits about him, tried not to let the moment turn him on too much, because he didn't want any reciprocation this time. This was about Duo. He was going to make damn sure that Duo knew his intentions, knew that Heero wanted more than just his body, though he wasn't quite sure when he'd decided that himself. They hadn't exactly had too many relationship building conversations...

Maybe it was his laughter at Heero's gullibility. Maybe it was his arms encircling his shoulders, his face buried in his neck, as they swayed against each other last night. Maybe it was the way he said love wasn't real, so sure of his own disappointment. Maybe it was before that, on the dance floor, the way he slid so comfortably into his arms as soon as he knew it was him. Or maybe it was the way he was disappointed when Heero missed him in the lobby at Wufei's. Or the damned expression in his too blue eyes when Heero grabbed his wrist and made that silent promise to him that he would do right by him – a promise no one had ever made before. A promise that made his breath catch in his astonishment and uncertainty.

But whatever it was, Heero knew with a surety that laid all his concerns to rest that he would pursue Duo with a single minded focus and anyone that got in the way could go to hell.

Heero changed tactics then, figuring he'd teased Duo enough, and locked his lips around him, drawing up and down until Duo was unloading in his mouth, shaking with ecstasy and flipping the sheets off of him so that he could stare down at Heero's face. Heero waited patiently until he was done before removing his mouth and placing soft kisses across the expanse of his hips.

Duo flexed and sat up slightly, cupping Heero's face in his hands and pulling at it slightly, inviting him to come back up. Heero complied, leaning on his side with his head propped by one hand, staring the man who'd managed to capture all of his attention.

"Breakfast _and_ a blowjob?" Duo joked, though Heero could tell he was a bit uncertain about what his level of obligation would be now.

"It's just a bunch of pastries," he stated nonchalantly to downplay the act. And then he was rolling out of bed, handing Duo the coffee as he sat up and bringing over the plate to set it between them.

"But I fuckin' _love_ pastries!" Duo grinned, enthusiastically grabbing a danish.

Heero managed to keep a straight face and deadpanned, "so you do love something, then?"

Duo paused with his mouth full, looking stricken as he dared a glance at Heero's face. Heero allowed himself a smirk to let Duo know wasn't completely tearing apart his whole life philosophy over hyperbole.

"Asshole," Duo muttered around the sugary confection and Heero laughed shortly, picking up a donut for himself.

To cut the awkwardness Heero asked about the shooting schedule for today and Duo informed him that they'd be filming a big dance scene with fifty extras a bit before dusk and then a quick few takes of his personal rap portion within the song, and then any extra takes with Relena they needed.

"Are they expecting any retakes of today's shoot?" Heero asked cautiously, not wanting to come out and ask if he'd be here another night but feeling desperate to know.

"Oh yeah," Duo shrugged. "You think the three hours it took me n' 'Lena was a while, wait 'til ya get fifty fucking amateurs out there. L1 just doesn't have the dance talent we do back home. Tro's got his work cut out for him."

"But he's been working with them for a month," Heero pointed out and then Duo gave him a strange look.

"How the fuck do you know that?" he asked bluntly and Heero swallowed hard, unable to believe that he out'ed himself.

"Winner introduced me," he tried, not wanting to lie but suddenly embarrassed, knowing Duo would know exactly how much he paid for Trowa's time just to impress him for one night.

"Winner?" Duo asked, seeing right through his attempt at deception. "'Lena's image consultant? Why would he do that?"

Heero sighed and stared down at his coffee. "Because I asked him to. So that I could learn to dance."

And then Duo was laughing, hard, but it didn't feel mean, and Heero lifted his face slowly to watch the other man wipe tears from his eyes. "You paid _my_ choreographer to teach you to dance? My very, very expensive choreographer? You do realize he doesn't typically do one-on-ones, right? I mean, sure, 'Lena cause I asked him for a personal favor, but fuck, what the hell'd you do to get him to agree to that?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Heero admitted, vaguely concerned that Quatre had made some promise that was going to come back to bite him in the ass later. "Winner booked him for me. We never really discussed it."

And then Duo was in his face, his nose brushing against Heero's, coffee and sugar and the night before on his breath, but Heero didn't care. He'd still have kissed him. "You really wanted to impress me, didn'tcha?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Heero asked defensively and Duo pulled back, smiling at him.

"Yeah. It did." And then he was up, releasing his hair, stating that it'd be easier for him to shower first due to the length of time it took his hair to dry. Heero didn't mind and while he was in the shower he checked his messages.

In the middle of reviewing the fifteen messages from Wufei, the agent himself called and Heero reluctantly answered with the vid-screen off, knowing he wasn't going to get him off his case otherwise.

"Where the _fuck_ do you think you are?" The angry question wasn't exactly what Heero had been hoping for but he supposed it was to be expected and he sighed, knowing he was about to be subject to one of Wufei's epic rants. "First, I get wind that the cops tag your car as loitering after a clerk called them because you were apparently passed out drunk in their parking lot for over six hours, then I hear all this talk about you and Maxwell at Prohibition and how you ditched Relena for him and made some huge spectacle of yourself, and _then_ you don't answer your phone for _days_...! Are you _trying_ to give me a stroke?!"

"Isn't this something an image consultant should worry about?" Heero snapped in irritation.

"I'm not calling as an agent." Wufei's voice softened slightly. "I'm calling as your _friend_."

Well, that certainly made Heero feel like shit.

"What the hell happened? Where are you? Are you okay?" The concern in his friend's voice was obvious now, making Heero feel more than a little foolish.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he apologized, a rare feat he was beginning to become quiet acquainted with. "I've just been busy. It's a long story. But I'm fine now. I'll come by your office in a couple days, okay?"

Wufei didn't exactly seem satisfied by that response but Heero wasn't going to divulge the whole rambling story of the dance off, and Relena, and his public drunkenness, and the epic sex on the phone when Duo could step out of the shower at any minute.

"Don't make me call this phone more than five times before I get an answer," Wufei warned ominously and Heero chuckled.

"Yeah, mom," he shot back much to his friend's dismay.

"Well _someone_ needs to check this reckless infatuation," he muttered before disconnecting the call. He heard the water shut off at the same time and he watched through the open door as Duo stepped out of the stall.

He went through what Heero assumed was a routine, toweling down his hair, brushing it out, wringing it back over the shower before toweling and brushing again, weaving it into a looser braid than he usually wore. Just as Heero was about to stand he got a strange feeling and waited, watching as Duo stared at himself in the mirror, trancelike, then closed his eyes, lips moving soundlessly like a prayer. Then he lifted his arm, the one with the grim reaper tattoo and the older, more faded words which from this vantage point Heero could make an educated guess were Psalm 23:4 – "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." And he placed a kiss on those words before he snapped out of it and called for Heero, announcing he could use the shower now.

Heero was glad he didn't seem to realize he'd seen the private sacrament and he walked over to where he stood, applying a generous amount of moisturizer to his face. He glanced at the other man before opening the shower stall door and then did a double take, staring at Duo's face in the mirror, realizing for the first time that it was riddled with small scars. Duo smiled cheekily when he noticed the attention, although his eyes betrayed an inner sadness Heero could only guess at.

"Yeah, they make me wear a fuck-ton of make up. Apparently scars aren't so great for the pretty boy image," Duo muttered, dropping his eyes and going back to rubbing in the skin cream. Heero decided not to pry and he stepped into the shower, turning on the water.

But he heard Duo laugh tersely. "You should've heard the bitchin' hissy fit Marquise pitched when I got three rows of dead people's names tattooed into my side." Duo paused and Heero felt a sense of sorrow for the other man. So many names... Were they friends? People from his time on the street?

"But he can go fuck himself, never wanted to be a pretty boy anyway..." he muttered so low Heero was sure Duo didn't think he could hear him. He spent the rest of his shower curious as to what Duo could've meant, who those people were, the symbolism of his tattoos, but resolving not to ask unless Duo brought it up.

When he got out and toweled off Duo was almost through applying foundation and powder to smooth out his façade. He turned to face him as Heero was running the towel roughly through his hair and Duo smiled, stroking the stubble on his chin with the back of his fingers.

"You get to be a man," he stated simply and Heero blinked, confused and surprised. He never thought of Duo as anything but. "I had to have mine removed with lasers. It'll re-grow with time, but it'll be a coupla years."

"Why do you do it?" Heero asked, unable to contain the question after everything he said that indicated he was less than happy with the direction of his career.

He smiled, loosing his hair again so that he could run a blow dryer over it. "People back home need the fuckin' money. Decided it was better to make the money and be the change than to sing about all the shit that needsta change and get shut down by politicians."

"You sold out," Heero breathed the realization, absolutely floored. He always assumed that Duo was happy to finally have money, that the change was a positive for him, that he enjoyed the limelight and the silly lyrics and girls. But now...

"I sold out," Duo confirmed with a big, insincere grin as he turned the blow dryer on his hair. Heero slipped out behind him and contemplated the enigma that was Duo Maxwell as he threw on his clothes. Heero had known his past to some extent – it was part of what attracted him to the other man. But now that he was hearing it from the source he found himself confused and wanting more information, wanting to understand his motivation for transforming himself into something he seemed to resent. Surely L2 owed him more than he owed it.

But he seemed in better spirits when he got done fixing his hair and they wandered out together, talking to film guys about the work they did last night and eating little catered in sandwiches. Trowa gave him a curious look when they'd finally run into each other and Heero had to fight not to avert his eyes, suddenly embarrassed about what they almost shared. Could've shared. Glad that they didn't share. But Duo quickly launched a conversation on him that he eventually included Heero in, making everything significantly less tense than it could've been.

Eventually Trowa and Duo went off to start reviewing the big dance scene and running the fifty dancers through different steps together. Heero couldn't help but smile secretly as he watched the man he'd finally gotten in bed move with more grace than the rest of them combined. And then Relena was walking up to the group, doling out hugs for Duo and Trowa, reviewing the routine as well before she stepped back and started towards him. It wasn't really that Heero had forgotten about her, it was just that he wanted to give her a wide breadth after what a dick he'd been to her over the past... ever.

She came up and stood quietly next to him, both of them observing silently for a long time before Duo got called in to make-up. And finally, Relena spoke.

"I never realized how hard it's been for you, since we broke up," she said softly. He grunted noncommittally. "I still wish you would've just told me."

Heero sighed. "I should've. I guess I didn't want you to think you made me this way, or that I was using you, or that I never loved you. It's just... complicated."

She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "I know you tried. I wish it had worked out too... but... it could be worse. You could be running off with Dorothy."

His eyes locked on Relena, the teasing grimace on her face, genuinely shocked at the strangely timed joke, and they both started laughing. She dropped his hand and gave him a warm smile.

"Duo's a real sweet guy," she told him kindly. "He apologized to _me_ about everything. There was no reason for it, we're not together, I know that, it was just... I wanted it to be something else." For a moment she seemed lost in reverie. "But I should've been the one apologizing to him. I know I messed up your night."

"Don't worry about it," Heero replied honestly, brushing it off. "I don't blame you. It would've never happened if I had just been upfront with you from the beginning. Or if I didn't get so drunk..."

She giggled. "I did hear about that..."

"Wufei already gave me a lecture," he warned, not wanting to go through the memory of that morning again. Then something occurred to him. "Wait. You didn't tell him – ?"

"What a big jerk you are?" she asked curiously, cutting him off. "Oh, I was tempted to. I wanted to make sure he'd never put his hands on you again. I had prepared all kinds of nasty things to say – our relationship gave me plenty of fodder." Heero knew that was an accurate statement. He winced to consider some of the things she might've said. "But, in the end... I couldn't. I told him the truth. That you're a stubborn, neurotic, egotistical ass that will dedicate every last piece of yourself to making sure the few people you care about are happy."

Heero stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time. She shrugged a bit uncomfortably and stared back at the dancers.

"Thank you," he told her honestly, knowing there was no way he could ever repay her for such an act of unwarranted kindness.

"It's the truth," she replied quietly and they lapsed into silence for a moment before she was being drug off for make-up as well.

Heero occupied himself by watching Trowa and the dancers until Duo and Relena came back and filming started again. He watched the first few takes before he became aware that some more catering had come in and he set about making plates for his future and his past as he doubted they'd have a lot of time to eat between takes. Eventually the film guys were either satisfied or it was too dark to continue and Relena was let go. Heero waved her over and they sat on a park bench together, eating and watching as the film crew took Duo and placed him on the wall, in front of the huge specter of the moon, having him replace the fox headdress with a feathered fedora and slipping him into an oversized leopard print coat. Heero thought it looked a bit ridiculous to watch someone rap solo on top of a wall, but had no doubt it'd be hot as hell after the editing.

"What's the song about?" he asked Relena as they finished their plates.

She gave him a coy look. "It's just a silly little song about finding someone sexy to dance with at the club. You know, one in a million."

"No," he shook his head with an amused smile. "Not with you two, not one in a million."

"I think he wrote it about you," she confessed and for what felt like the hundredth time that day he found himself amazed. At Relena, at Duo, at the whole direction his life was taking.

They waited for Duo to finish that short take and he had a brief few minutes to wolf the food down appreciatively. And then Duo was redressed and they left Heero alone to go back to the wall and run through about an hour of retakes.

But soon enough they were walking together back to Duo's trailer and once they were inside Duo was jumping into his arms, ripping off his shirt, plastering hot, adrenaline filled kisses all over his face and neck. And Heero was reciprocating, groping his ass, rocking their hips together, letting him lead in his hungry conquest of Heero's body.

Heero carried him over to the bed like that, sitting down so that Duo was straddling him, and he licked up his jawline to his ear, knowing what he had to do, what he needed to say.

"Fuck me," he growled into Duo's ear and he felt just how badly that command derailed the normally graceful man's perfect movements. His body jerked off rhythm to how he had been moving, his hands dug into Heero's waist, his teeth biting painfully into his neck. But he certainly didn't need to be told twice.

He threw Heero backwards onto the bed, jerking down his pants, throwing them off and then kissing up his legs, kissing everything between them with a passionate dedication. It was strange for Heero to let himself relax after spending so long thinking about how to make sure he stayed on offense, stayed aggressive, kept Duo guessing... but now, this was the most meaningful thing he could do for the other man. Give him the right to dominate him. Give him back some masculinity, some _control_.

Being fucked by Duo was just the same as being on the receiving end of his attention ever was. He was teasing and playful, rolling his hips in and out, making Heero expect a certain rhythm and then switching it up, leaving him panting and, though he may be reluctant to admit it, begging for more. When he came, he came unexpectedly and violently, snapping his head back and tearing into Duo's shoulders with inhuman strength, having never experienced such a brutally overwhelming sensation before. And the feeling of Duo burying himself in deep, fighting against Heero's constricting muscles, moaning his name as he fell over the edge was mentally unbearable for Heero.

He knew then that it could never be like this with anyone else. And he didn't want it to be. Whatever there was between them might not have been love, if Duo didn't want it to be, but it was more than lust, more than mutual desire, and it deserved more than these two nights and this trailer.

"Fuck, 'Ro... You're pretty much perfect," Duo sighed with satisfaction as he fell down on top of him, burying his head into his neck, running a hand down his side and causing his body to jerk and shudder at the tactile sensation too close to his release. "Good thing I'm leaving tomorrow or I'd start to get used to this."

Heero's chest constricted with fear and pain and the utter reality that he wouldn't be spending the night with him tomorrow. Or the next day. Or week. Or probably even month. There was no reason for him to be on L1 anymore. The song was recorded and the video shot. And Heero was supposed to be working on new material for his upcoming tour and he only had one stop on L2 and it was nearly eight months away. Yeah, this was it, they were royally fucked.

And as he blinked back tears, completely unable to stop them from floating in his eyes in his hyper emotional post-orgasm state, he realized why Duo didn't believe in love. Because the people you try to love just end up fucking leaving you. He warned him from the very beginning and Heero was too damned stupid to listen.

He wound his arms tightly around the body above his, kissing Duo's forehead and trying desperately to regain control of himself.

"We'll see each other again," he stated, not at all confidently, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"Yeah," Duo agreed, though he didn't sound convinced. "That's why it's a damn good thing this ain't –"

"Don't say it," Heero warned darkly. "Just don't fucking say it."

Duo rolled off of him, but otherwise kept his mouth shut. And although they were both pissed at each other, and the situation, and the fact that they let themselves get that deep in, they couldn't help but seek out the comfort of one another's touch in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor boys! D:
> 
> If I had to do it over again, I think I might re-title this "This Ain't Love." Oh well! That's what you get for thinking something's gonna be a one shot then writing 4+ more chapters...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a lyricist. I sometimes flirt with poetry but am by no means even remotely close to what anyone would consider a poet. Therefore I ask you don't judge my lyrics too harshly – this was just supposed to be smut! But I thought it would be kinda fun to include some just for shits and giggles as this whole damned fic was just for shits and giggles. ;-)
> 
> Oh and obviously the theme of this was smut hahaha. It was supposed to be a PWP but obviously I got sidetracked in a plot. I wrote all 25,000 words in under two weeks sooo... yeah. Just some back story on this and an explanation for all the smut in it.

It had been nearly four months since Heero had last seen Duo Maxwell. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about it him. Every song he'd written since had been about him. He scanned the news desperately looking for any reference of him. He'd thought up many a silly excuse to try to go to L2 to see him but the more time that passed between then and now, the more ridiculous he felt for holding on to something that Duo never wanted to begin with.

But that last morning... He groaned as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Just thinking about it still made him hot – especially considering he hadn't slept with anyone since. Not that he hadn't _tried_... He just found his words too insincere, his actions so pathetic, he always found himself backing off before he could a guy alone.

His mind floated over their last morning together. They seemed to both wake up in agreement that they simply wouldn't discuss what would happen after those next few hours and instead of talking, found themselves making the most of their time by fucking. And Heero fucked him thoroughly – slowly, passionately – as if he could somehow impress the whole expanse of his emotion upon him in that merging of their bodies.

And after they came, they spent time just snuggling, then touching, then kissing each other's bodies until Duo was slipping his fingers into him again, preparing him for round two.

Heero found his hand slipping down his body and stroking across his thigh as he followed the same path Duo had, his cock hard and needy as it remembered Duo's touch. He stroked up under his balls, gasping as he remembered how Duo ran his thumb across them, grasping them as he slipped his fingers out, leaving Heero desperate to feel the completion of having his lover inside him.

Then his hand surrounded himself, locking around and pulling teasingly, just as Duo had, buried deep inside him but still so damned playful. It was like everything was fun to him. Like Heero was fun to him. Heero often felt ambitious, sexy, passionate, dedicated... but fun? No one had ever seen him as fun before Duo. And he wasn't sure anyone ever would again. It was like Duo brought that part out of him, but he needed the other man to make it work. It was no wonder Wufei had stared in disbelief as Heero told him everything that occurred between them – with four months passed and the other man's presence missing, Heero could hardly believe the things he'd done himself. Especially dancing on the floor of Prohibition with all those people watching. What had he been _thinking_?

But then he was remembering Duo's eyes, staring at him with a smoldering passion buried deep down there, sweat snaking down his face, shoulders rocking back as he drove his hips forward, tongue just barely parting those lips as he focused his entire concentration on fucking him into the mattress.

Heero moaned softly as he traced his fingers up his torso to flick across a hard nipple, twisting it, causing a jolt that made his abs clench and his other hand tense, rubbing a bit too roughly, impatiently wanting to come, wanting to feel even a fraction of how he felt when Duo was stroking him, caressing him, leading him over the edge. He hoped that this time he would be able to recapture some of that magic. Hoped that if he did, maybe he wouldn't be doomed to nothing more than a life after Duo.

He found himself stroking more vigorously, jerking his hips up – trying to, wanting to, _needing_ to feel as turned on and desperate as he did under Duo's spell. Under those careful, tender hands that flirted across his body, teasing every little sensitive spot, drawing out every little moan.

Remembering the way Duo tipped his head forward, biting down on his lower lip, locking his eyes shut as came – it made Heero groan a bit more loudly as he felt his own climax coming. He placed a few well-timed strokes before he was ejaculating across his lower torso with far less gusto than he ever had under Duo's ministrations, pulling gently on himself as the last visages of lackluster pleasure drained out of him. And that familiar, unhappy feeling in the pit of his stomach took up residence just as it had every time he jerked off over the last few months.

It would never be the same, could never be the same he had predicted. And unfortunately, he was right. It never would be.

Desperate to get out of his lonely bed, he showered, ate a meager breakfast, and got ready for Quatre to pick him up for some last minute accessories and coaching for his impending tour. He wasn't really in the mood to talk shop but he put on a brave face and forced himself to care about what the other man was saying. This was his life now. His life post-Duo Maxwell. He had to make the best of it.

He had been surprised and dismay that Quatre saw fit to listen to rap music as he had wholly avoided it, unable to hear the duet Relena had so innocently suggested was about him one more time. He hadn't even seen the video. He knew he wouldn't be able to think about those hands, those hips, those lips without some kind of break down. Luckily Quatre's selection didn't seem to include that song – or any of Duo's for that matter – and he thanked him silently for sparing him the torture of that husky voice.

They spent the day driving between a number of boutique shops as Quatre coached him on how he should hold himself, reminded him of the way he should talk, the words he should use, the person he was supposed to be on stage. Luckily it wasn't much different from the person he actually was – it was just that his typical cold indifference needed to come off as aloof sexiness instead.

Lunch was an exercise in patience for Heero as he listened to Quatre ramble and he wasn't looking forward to dinner but luckily Quatre seemed to sense his mood and let him off the hook easy by suggesting he just drive him home after the last stop. It wasn't his first tour, Quatre joked. But halfway through the hour drive back to his apartment he risked his life by provoking Heero's wrath.

"Have you heard Duo's new song?" he asked casually and Heero pinned him with a look that could freeze fire. "I'll take that as a no. You really should. It's different. More like his older stuff."

Quatre paused and fiddled with his radio. "Rumor has it that it took him over a week to record because he kept walking out of the studio." Quatre spared a glace for Heero, who had crossed his arms over his chest and managed the most hostile yet disinterested pose he could muster, protecting himself from every word about the man who wholly occupied his thoughts.

"Trowa told me he wrote the whole thing on the shuttle back to L2. On napkins. In one sitting." Heero tried to keep his hands from trembling as his fingernails dug uncomfortably into his arms. He knew what shuttle. He knew when.

And then Quatre was playing the song against his will and unless he covered his ears like a child, he had to listen.

Quatre was right – it was very "rappy" – way more like his politically charged songs of the past. The ones Heero had come to think of as closest to his heart. His true voice. Before it was covered up by image consultants and agents trying to make him money. But it was also more polished than before, and though his voice sounded rough around the edges, like the words hurt him to sing, Heero couldn't help but listen as his one-time lover divulged the story of his life.

The song started with how he'd never met his father, that he was raised by his mother until he found her dead of a drug overdose when he was five. "Too scared of the police to stay, gotta find my own way anyway." Then he lived on the street where he ran with a gang and got to see first hand the destructive nature of disease on a group of kids without food, vaccinations, shelter. "But God was watching out for me, never picked me, needed me to see, there were greater things out there for me." Then he was taken in off the street by an orphanage that eventually burnt to the ground due to suspected arson. Duo was the only survivor. "Got my friends inked on my chest, so they can't leave me like the rest."

Heero found himself feeling extremely distraught as the sad tale unraveled. How much could one person take? He was sure Duo wouldn't have wanted his pity, but... How couldn't he feel torn up inside that a man he cared so greatly about had to suffer such a heartbreaking past? No wonder he didn't want to believe in love.

And so when then the chorus began Heero almost lost it, the words so close to his own thoughts. "Don't believe in love, only know 'bout pain – but I was lying to you and I was lying to me as I was fuckin' wit you and you were fuckin' wit me."

He went on to catalog his rise to fame but Heero was waiting for the chorus again. And when it came, for a moment he let himself believe that Duo meant – no. Better not to think it.

Duo apparently had no intention of letting him off that easy. The next verse had Heero's heart pounding as his breathing stopped.

"But when I met you, shoulda knew, that fuckin' weren't enough for you. Eyes of blue, a dream come true, hell I woulda split the sky in two, just to have sumthin' more wit you."

Heero bit painfully into his cheek. Crude, maybe, but Duo wrote a fucking song for him. Wrote a damned love song. Spilled his guts across every satellite just to get his attention.

"The hurt an' the fear an' the shit I deal with every day, that pain inside of me – forcing you away, ain't no way you could ever keep that pain at bay, ain't no way you would ever wanna stay."

His fingers were already pulling up Wufei's number when the chorus came back in. He swallowed hard as he realized it was different. Duo changed the lyrics so that he ended saying, "but I was lying to you and I was lying to me when I was fuckin' wit you cause you were _loving_ with me" and Heero's grip on his phone tightened so the plastic in his fingers flexed.

"Heero?" Quatre asked cautiously when the song ended, though Heero suspected the blond knew exactly what he was doing as soon as he pulled that song up.

He ignored him and listened for Wufei to pick up, keeping the video feed off because he was afraid his voice would betray him enough. He didn't need his face to help out.

"Heero?" came Wufei's curious voice, knowing he had a day with Quatre planned.

"I need you to book me a shuttle to L2," he stated firmly.

"No." Wufei's answer was instantaneous. "Your opening show is in three days, here, on L1."

"So book me a return flight the next day, I'll be back, but you _have_ to do this for me!"

"As your agent, I can't –"

"As my _friend_!" Heero caught the way his voice wavered and both men paused, surprised by it for different reasons. He breathed in deep for a moment and continued. "Have you heard Duo's new song?"

"Of course not," Wufei replied gruffly, seeming irritated though he had to assume Heero's request was related to the braided man. "You know I don't listen to that kind of music."

"It's a love song." The statement was simple, because that was all he had to say to explain how vitally important it was that he get that shuttle.

"So?" Wufei returned wearily. "They're _all_ love songs."

"No, they're not." Even Heero was a bit amazed at how hot and defensive the words came out. " _None_ of his songs are love songs."

"I fail to see what that has to do –"

"It's for me," he ground out, as if he shouldn't have to explain any of this, as if Wufei should know. "It's a love song – to _me_."

Wufei laughed then, short and derisively. "While the size of your ego never fails to impress me, don't you think that's just a bit arrogant? All the tabloids say he's with one of his dancers, Hilde somebody –"

"He might be _with_ her," Heero conceded, "but he _loves_ me."

"Heero –"

"So help me, if you don't book me a fucking shuttle, I will cancel the whole damned tour and find myself a new agent!"

Silence fell between them and the threat seemed to subdue Wufei who simply said he'd message him within the hour and then hung up.

As he began to rein his emotions in, he realized that Quatre had overheard the whole exchange. He hazarded a cautious glance for the consultant, his eyes studying the road as if it were the most fascinating scene on L1.

"Why didn't he just tell me?" he asked, somewhat hypothetically, relatively certain Quatre wouldn't even know how to begin to answer that question.

"Why didn't you tell Relena you were gay?" Quatre returned with a shrug. "Pride? Arrogance? Fear? Any number of reasons. You live different lives, far away from each other. _You_ obviously didn't think it would work out or maybe you would've just called him instead of forcing me to play match maker."

"How do you know all this?" Heero asked, genuinely curious.

There was an amused glint to Quatre's eyes. "I get paid to know this. Why do you think I'm the most sought after consultant in the colonies?"

Heero shook his head. "What do I do?"

Quatre offered him a sympathetic smile. "I don't know. But I do know he's going to be in the Optimum Grand tomorrow night. Penthouse suite on the top floor." He winked and Heero's heart was pounding again, overwhelmed by the thought of getting to see him again. Getting to hold him again. Getting to touch and feel and caress him again.

Getting to make _love_ to him again.

Fuck Wufei. He would get there even if he had to steal a shuttle and pilot it himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes perfectly with the mood and chorus of "Power Trip" by J. Cole. Especially since my internal head radio was playing it on repeat as I wrote. So if you want to hear a sad and sexy song, go have a listen. Oh, and I think I totally forgot to mention this earlier, but the song I had in my head for Duo and Relena's duet would be like "Suit and Tie" by Justin Timberlake. ;-P

Heero was especially anxious as he leaned against the cool marble walls of the Optimum Grand, watching people coming and going from their rooms to the lobby, the elevators seemingly constantly occupied. He'd stood there for nearly two hours already, waiting for Duo to return. On his way into the city he gathered that Duo was doing some kind of charity promotion event for a childhood disease prevention clinic. Of course, it all made sense now, the reasons he was so active in children's charities. Heero couldn't help but cringe inwardly to imagine his childhood. Not that Heero's was great by any stretch of the imagination but at least there was somewhere for him to go home to. An emotionally manipulative, physically abusive home, but a home nonetheless.

He lost himself in thoughts of his past for a while before finally he heard a burst of excitement that piqued his interest. He turned his head towards the hurried voices as they approached and sure enough, Duo Maxwell was walking up, chatting easily with a group of excited fans.

But when his eyes finally lifted and they met Heero's it was like all time stopped for that brief moment. The look of absolute shock on his face was well worth it and Heero smirked even as the yelp of "oh shit!" left Duo's lips and an elevator door dinged open.

Immediately Heero strode forward, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into the elevator. As soon as the doors shut he reached for the button for the top floor before dragging Duo in for a kiss – only to be thwarted by a hand over his mouth. But Duo pressed his lips into the back of his hand too and closed his eyes. His other hand was twisted in Heero's hair as he slammed him up against the back of the elevator. Duo's eyes opened and he removed his hand and his mouth, kissing across Heero's cheek to his ear. Despite how pissed he was he didn't actually get to kiss Duo, Heero couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sensation as that skilled tongue stroked his ear lobe.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his whisper husky with lust and Heero tried not to moan as he pressed those hips closer.

"Had to come," he managed out between pants as Duo rocked his hips, the feeling of the friction he'd longed for finally accessible to him. "Heard your song."

Duo froze and the doors opened. He pulled away reluctantly and straightened his clothing before leading Heero down a short hallway and unlocking the heavy door. They entered into a luxurious sitting room but Heero hardly noticed it, his eyes trained on Duo's back. As soon as he paused in the room, Heero was wrapping his arms around his waist, holding him tightly and kissing his neck.

"I feel the same way," he murmured in his ear, nipping it gently but Duo was throwing him off roughly, striding across the vast room to the bar. Heero was confused. He thought the song had made it pretty clear. Unless, of course, it wasn't actually about him at all. But how could that be? He thought... he was so damned sure... But uncertainty began to eat at him as he watched Duo crack the lid on a bottle of gin and throw it back.

"I told you," he growled darkly, not turning to face Heero, his shoulders hunched protectively. "This ain't love, and it'll never fucking _be_ love."

"But –" Heero started but stopped, feeling defeated, feeling like he should just turn around and leave. Obviously he'd misunderstood. This was stupid. Wufei was right. Fuck but he hated when he had to admit that.

"It can't be, don't you fucking get that?!" He had turned to shout the words, his eyes hot with anger and frustration. "You and me – we'd never fucking work! We're both too goddamned stubborn. We don't even live on the same damned colony! And _you_...! You're supposed to go on tour in two days and you fucking show up here – for _what_? Why? I haven't seen you in four months!"

"I just thought..." Heero muttered lamely, dropping his eyes to the rug self-consciously.

"Well, ya thought _wrong_." Duo turned away from him then and started slamming things around on the bar. Heero decided to pack up his wounded pride and just leave before he thought about it too hard and started crying or begging or something equally humiliating.

He turned to leave and made it about to the door before he felt Duo's hands on him, his arms embracing him, his body pressing against his back. He could smell the gin on his breath as his nose buried its way into his neck and Heero couldn't breath he was so scared and desperate and _fuck_ but he wanted this to work.

"You're just going to leave me." Duo's voice cracked on the words and Heero began to realize his shoulder was wet. "I'm going to _need_ you and you won't be here."

Heero's heart ached because now he knew. He understood why Duo felt that way, why he was scared. He shifted so that he could hold Duo against him, stroking his hair and placing a gentle kiss on his temple.

"I'll quit," he said with a determined finality. Duo shook his head against his chest. "I will. Or I'll move to L2. I'll become your agent. I'll –"

"Fucking shut up," came the muffled interruption.

"I will," Heero repeated. "I'll –"

"Shut. Up." Duo's head was still buried in his chest but after a moment he lifted his head to look at him, a weary expression on his face. "Don't fuckin' matter. You've gotta do your tour, so just shut up." He leaned forward to place a kiss alongside Heero's nose. Then he nuzzled his nose against his, their lips almost brushing, but not quite. Heero's lips slipped open desperately, wanting so badly to complete that motion, make that promise Duo wouldn't allow him to make. His stomach bottomed out and he grabbed the back of Duo's head, no longer giving a fuck, just wanting those lips pressed against his so badly. But when he pushed him forward Duo turned his head askance and they were cheek to cheek instead.

"Just fuck me," Duo begged into his ear. Heero shut his eyes tight to fight back all the emotions and want and need he felt at the plea. "Fuck me tonight and make it feel like forever."

And then, without thinking or really even meaning to, he was placing sloppy kisses along Duo's jawline and down his throat, across his collarbone. And Duo was trembling under him, his hands shaking as they slid through his hair. And they were moving across the floor, Heero pushing offensively, pushing through the cracked door into the bedroom, falling back onto the big, plush bed. And then Heero was slipping off his pants carefully, each move deliberate and kind, making sure that even if Duo wouldn't let him say it, he would know beyond a doubt that Heero loved him.

As Heero took off his own pants Duo turned over and shimmied up the bed, leaned over, and grabbed the necessary supplies out of a bag by the side of the bed. But before he could get back Heero was on the bed, throwing his body over him and planting kisses on his back, bracing himself with one hand as the other reached up Duo's shirt and then stroked down his chest, fingers swirling and sliding across his skin. Duo shivered against him, groaning quietly. Then he was grabbing Heero's hand and pushing it down, forcing his fingers into his stiffening cock, gasping as they collided.

Heero laid his head on Duo's tremulous back, breathing heavily as he felt Duo's dick get hard in his hand, his fingers teasing it with little pulls and light strokes. Duo snaked his hand back across Heero's shoulders until he gripped his neck, holding him down against him as his hips jerked forward involuntarily.

"Fuck me," he moaned urgently. "Fuck, I need you _now_." The deep, throaty demand made all thought slide out of his head, his hips pushing forward into Duo's ass, his hand sliding back to Duo's base and pushing Duo back into him. Duo's hand gripped his hair, yanking painfully as the arm holding him up weakened and then Heero was guiding him down to the mattress. He wrapped his left arm up around his torso as they lay spooned together, holding him close and running kisses up the back of his neck. His other hand reached out and found the lube after a moment and Duo helped him with it and quickly he was slipping his fingers into him and then slipping himself into that tight warmth he had longed for for months.

He rolled his hips slowly back and forth, running his hand up and then down Duo's shaft in rhythm, each movement deliberate, timed, forcing Duo to feel every inch of him. He buried his nose in the base of his braid, breathing in the sweet hotel shampoo and the musky scent of Duo. His fingers played slowly with a nipple, easy to find even though the thin cotton shirt, twisting it, pinching it, and he sucked at Duo's neck, the sensation of being in him causing him to bite down every time he slid forward. Duo whimpered softly in response, his hands clutching at the sheets weakly under Heero's careful, tender ministrations.

"'Ro," he pleaded and Heero's arm tightened around his torso. "I can't take this. _Please_. This – this is..."

Making love, Heero finished mentally, knowing that was his intention from the very beginning.

"I know," he whispered, his breath a sigh in Duo's ear and Duo let out a deep groan on Heero's forward thrust, coming helplessly across Heero's hand and the sheets. Heero pushed forward again and again as Duo's muscles clamped down around him until it was more than he could bear and he was over the edge, kissing the back of Duo's neck, shoulders, hair, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close.

They lay like that for several minutes, their breathing becoming shallow, their muscles relaxing, and Heero slipped his hips back so he could slide out to hold him more comfortably.

Duo twisted in his arms and Heero stroked his slightly sweaty bangs, kissing his cheek and running his nose against his cheekbone. Duo closed his eyes and snuggled closer to him.

"I did miss you," he murmured at last as he tucked his head up under Heero's chin, finally letting his guard down. Heero couldn't help but smile a little smile, glad he came all this way despite Duo not being completely forthright. Not allowing him a kiss.

"But this is what we're good at," Duo muttered and the smile disappeared from Heero's face. Heero couldn't refute that fact as doubt crept into his heart. He never did manage a successful relationship with a man. Why would be Duo be any different? In fact, common sense would dictate that an attempt with Duo would fail even worse than any of his others – the man was clearly psychologically damaged from his life experiences and who knew if he would be able to share something like love at all? Heero wasn't exactly a blank slate for that matter. Maybe his own past and difficulties with his father were the reason he couldn't make any relationship with a man work long term.

Despite all that, Heero felt forced to play devil's advocate, never one to give up without a fight. "But isn't it worth giving it a chance?"

"One of us would have to give up so much." Duo shook his head slightly. "I can't do it. No matter how much I might want to, I can't. I've helped too many people. They're more important."

No matter how much Heero wanted to argue that point, he kept his mouth shut. Despite what he might have thought, Duo did deserve some happiness. The whole population of L2 wasn't his responsibility.

"What if you didn't have to give it up?" Heero asked quietly.

"I can't possibly ask that of you." Duo sighed and ran his fingers through the soft hair on Heero's lower abdomen. "When you go on your tour you'll realize that you can't give it up. It's too exhilarating, performing. And I wouldn't ask you to leave that. You'll see."

"Maybe," Heero replied uncertainly. Performing was actually his least favorite part of the profession. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the tour at all. "Maybe we can see how I feel at the end of the tour?" His prediction: exhausted, overwhelmed, and desperate to get out. He hadn't done a tour for almost three years. And even then, Wufei stacked a bunch of smaller venues at the end so that he could catch a break.

"Yeah?" Heero noted the tiniest bit of hope in the question.

"Yeah," he replied, kissing Duo's temple. "But tonight, we can just enjoy each other."


	8. Chapter 8

And enjoy each other they did, Heero remembered fondly as he sat backstage, waiting for the sound techs to finish setting up his equipment.

It was his last stop on the tour and he was beyond exhausted. There was nothing more he wanted than a big, comfy bed – preferably his own, as he'd seen one too many hotels over the past few months – with Duo Maxwell laying naked in it.

He missed the other man worse than ever. This time, they kept in contact while Heero was on the road. He would e-mail him en route and tell him where he was going and Duo would reply with some anecdote of his time there, a great restaurant he'd gone to, a story about someone he knew who lives there, or some other amusing fact he'd thought up. There was nothing more Heero looked forward to than reading those e-mails and it was the only way he made it through that tour. Each new destination carried with it the promise that he would get to know something new and different about the man he had fallen in love with and his anticipation counteracted his fatigue, his frustration, his overall negativity with the entire experience.

They had carefully avoided discussing what would happen when the tour was over. Heero planned to go home and recoup for a week before flying out to L2 and spending as much time as possible wooing Duo to the exception of all else. He wasn't exactly sure how Duo would feel about that, but he also couldn't imagine Duo turning him away, either.

It had been over a year since they first met. It had been the strangest and most wanting year of his life. And despite how difficult it had been in so many ways, it also had the highest, happiest points to date. He knew that if those few times he'd gotten to see Duo that year had eclipsed all other moments in his life, Duo was worth pursuing so that he could have even a tiny piece of that every day.

Eventually the sound techs came and got him and he was ready to go out and perform one last show – maybe the last show of his entire career. When he thought about it that way, he expected to find some sort of disappointment. Even though performing was never his favorite part of the job, he figured he'd miss getting to see new places and things. But instead he was met with exhilaration and relief. This could be it. This could be it and he would never have to do it again.

He was glad Wufei booked this little venue in Los Angeles for his last show. It was quaint and homey and small, maybe only two hundred and fifty people. The stage was low and he could see the back of the venue easily from his elevated position on a barstool. Another plus, the crowd was mature and genuinely excited to see him in this element. He would have to remember to thank Wufei later for the perfect send off.

Not that Wufei knew that's what it was yet. Heero would've said he wasn't sure if asked, but it would've been a lie.

It was a two-hour set and he settled in, talking a little about his tour and how grateful he was that his fans came out tonight to see him on this last show. It felt very final even though it wasn't supposed to be. He wondered if they could tell.

And then he launched into his well memorized routine, his voice rasping slightly over the words as it was tired from use, tired of singing those same lines over and over again. But they fell easily out of his mouth and he tried to remember what it was like to write them – especially the ones that sprung spontaneously from him about Duo.

About an hour into the routine he noticed a bit of a raucous in the back and though he tried to ignore it, it's difficult as a performer not to wonder what is distracting people from your performance. It was in the middle of a particularly raunchy song about lazing the day away in bed with a lover that he noticed the black fedora with peacock feather accents in the far back from whence the commotion came. He thought it odd that anyone in this crowd would be wearing such a flamboyant accessory when suddenly his hands slipped over the strings on the guitar in a jarring, painful way and his voice failed him absolutely.

His heart began pounding in his chest, his palms sweaty, and he stood, dropping the guitar, hopping off the stage, and crossing through the confused crowd to see none other than Duo Maxwell himself leaning against the very back wall, grinning like a fool.

Heero stalked up to him, almost unable to believe that he was there, that he came all the way out there for him, that he was just as eager for his tour to end as Heero was himself. And he dared himself to hope that this meant what he wanted more than anything else in the world.

He paused just inches from the man, letting his eyes sweep over the strong, familiar form, and then he grabbed his shoulders, making sure he was real, before dragging him into a deep, lusting, _long_ overdue kiss.

The crowd gasped collectively but he was barely cognizant of them any longer as his lips connected with Duo's. And like a dying man offered salvation he crushed him forward, clinging to him as he pressed harder, opening his mouth desperately to taste every perfect inch of those glorious, magnificent lips.

And Duo was kissing him back, his hands gripping his shirt desperately, holding him in place, returning the favor of an open mouth, finally allowing Heero to express everything he'd been wanting to since the moment he met him.

Heero felt faint by the time they pulled apart to breathe and Duo was grinning wickedly and Heero could tell he was grinning too. And then he was kissing him again, more gently but just as passionately, unable to believe he'd finally done it, that Duo was finally letting him kiss him, just as he'd predicted in that bathroom stall so many months ago. And he was _enjoying_ it!

He felt like shouting, crying, letting the whole damn world know – Duo Maxwell _loved_ him!

Nah, fuck it – _he just wanted to kiss him!_

But then Duo was pulling away, smacking him upside the head playfully, his eyes shining with affection in a way that made Heero's heart catch in his chest.

"You're supposed to keep singing, dummy!" he chided with a small laugh. "You got to hear my song about you. I want to hear you sing about _me_."

Suddenly Heero remembered that he _was_ supposed to be in the middle of performing a concert. He couldn't help but grin self-consciously, plant one more quick kiss on those utterly _perfect_ lips, and retake the stage with the unfamiliar feeling of a full face blush as his audience cheered and teased him.

"I apologize for unexpected interruption," he said into the mic as he regained a little composure and checked the tuning on his hastily discarded guitar. "But I've been waiting to do that for a damn long time." Heero was pleased to note Duo laughing with the rest of the audience.

And as his eyes locked with Duo's he made a silent promise to him then that he would never leave him. As long as he could put that contented, happy smile on his face, he would make sure he was there to see it every day of his life.

* * *

"You do remember you have an appointment with Mr. Noventa regarding the expansion wing of the St. Nicholas Children's Home at three today, correct?" Heero asked his handsome vision over his reading glasses. Duo was pacing the room in what Heero could easily recognize not as nervousness but pent up energy. Suddenly that energy was focused on him and a handsome smile crossed his face.

"Have I ever told you how damned sexy you look in that get up?"

"Every day," Heero answered without any emotion to betray the flutter it still gave him to hear those words as he turned his eyes downward to the schedule on his desk.

Duo slammed his hands down on his desk and Heero's gaze trailed from those well known finger tips up the arms and to the serious looking face leaning over him. He raised a questioning eyebrow and then Duo was kissing him fully.

It had been six months since Heero moved to L2 and helped Duo form his own charity. As with many musicians in this day and age where you had to be self-financed and self-sufficient, Heero had a background in business and set himself up as the head of the organization. It was work that he enjoyed, for the most part, and he quickly began to realize why it was so important to Duo. He did get a sense of fulfillment that he never got with music. Not that music wasn't fulfilling to him, exactly, but it was a personal sort of feeling and this gave him a more global satisfaction, knowing he could do something to impact so many lives. And anyway, he quickly discovered his career as a musician was over whether he wanted it to be or not now that he was happy.

He chuckled a little thinking he doubted he could fill an album with the little ditties he wrote for Duo's amusement about their mischievous cats, the houseplants they couldn't manage to keep alive, or the way the sun fell across their bed in the morning, softly caressing his gorgeous face.

"What?" Duo asked, pulling away, having felt the chuckle easily from his vantage point halfway down Heero's throat.

"I was thinking about recording an album," Heero started and a worried expression creased Duo's face.

"You know if you want to, I won't hold you back!" he volunteered quickly, often concerned Heero regretted having altered his life so drastically for him.

"I was just trying to figure out where 'Misty's Pink Toes' would fit in the track listing." Heero posed the musing seriously and Duo grinned, tousling Heero's hair before straightening his back.

"You just wanted me to stop kissing you so we don't defile your nice new desk," he accused and Heero shrugged.

"I've been waiting nearly four months for this desk to get here from Earth."

Duo walked around the desk and settled himself in Heero's lap, locking his hands loosely around his neck, leaning in to kiss his ear and start a shiver running down Heero's spine.

"We don't have to touch your precious desk..." he whispered seductively and Heero immediately felt far too constrained in that classy pinstripe suit. He felt Duo's long fingers slide across his chest under the suit jacket, brushing his nipples through the silk shirt, and he couldn't stop the groan from escaping his lips.

"You know what that does to me," Duo murmured as he kissed across his jaw line, rocking his hips a little to give Heero some friction. On the contrary, he felt fairly certain Duo must know what he did to _him_ with just a few simple touches.

And then Duo was doing everything possible he could to make Heero moan, slipping off his lap and onto his knees, his hands making short work of the button and zipper of his pants.

"Duo," he stopped him and Duo looked up, looking absolutely radiant, backlit by the floor to ceiling windows of Heero's office. "You know I love you, right?"

Duo laughed, his fingers slowly stroking Heero's dick. "I'm about to give you a blow job in your big ol' executive chair in your big ol' important office – yeah, you _better_ love me." He winked and though he was teasing Heero knew by the way his eyes lingered a second longer on Heero's own that he understood. That he loved him too.

And then all conscious thought was eclipsed by those wonderful, wonderful lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say – it is pretty damned difficult to write 25,000 words of smut where your characters can't kiss! ARGH. What did I do to myself?! =P Anyway, that's all folks! :D Thank you so much for reading! *bows* Hope you enjoyed this crazy journey with me heh heh. Now back to my (relatively) well thought-out and planned fics... ;-P


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